Rocket Smoke and Shattered Mirrors
by Viridian Jester
Summary: Being reborn into the world of Pokemon isn't nearly as fun nor easy as it may seem, especially when reincarnated as a female version of Giovanni. And with an impassive mother, an eccentric aunt, and a myriad of strange, enthusiastic trainers along the way… at least I didn't stay dead, right? (SI-OC, anime universe)
1. Chapter 1

I was a cold person, or internally at least. I was also very contemplative - very aware that something wasn't quite right in my heart or brain, and it wasn't a new feeling either. Once upon a time I was empathetic, kind, and outgoing; I didn't have to mask my thoughts or heart. Ironically enough though, it was my first life that made me this way - unstoppable events rolling down the metaphorical hill of life, leaving hairline fractures in my soul that my second widened, twisted, and broke open.

First life? Oh, that's right - I had another run at life before this one. Yet, even if here I'm far more successful… well - you'll see.

I was once an average college student, uncertain in my future but determined to get there all the same. I put on a smile, tried my best to be enthusiastic and make friends, and prided myself on academic excellence. On the inside though, I just wanted to curl up in my bed and never have to leave. None of these tactics served me very well my second time around.

Now, I'm the boss of a multi-regional crime syndicate. Cold, cunning, ruthless, and selfish - or at least, that's what I've been told. I still see myself as the same broken little girl though, so I suppose I really can't be trusted to give an accurate appraisal of the situation, can I?

Ah, and I was reborn into the world of Pokemon. Surprised? I was too. In my previous life, it started as a mere video game - a figment of some artist's imagination that spanned into an anime, some manga, and a global phenomena.

One thing I've learned throughout my lifetimes is that many things aren't as they first appear - whether it be people, Pokemon, or situations. Those who you think you can trust - who you _want_ to trust - won't trust you back or even give you the chance to explain yourself. Something you think is an inevitable disaster may very well be avoidable entirely.

I… I regret a lot of things. And I doubt I'll be able to make amends before this life vanishes too. At the very least though, I'll tell my story - and maybe then you can come to your own conclusions about me. I could start anywhere, really - but… let's start with the end of my first life and speed through the beginning of my second until we get to the good stuff. I wouldn't want to bore anyone to death - I'm not that cruel.

* * *

My death was rather anticlimactic - no fire and brimstone, no Earth-shattering apocalypse - nor was it quite as quick and simple as a car accident. No, I died due to an earthquake, which is rather ironic considering I would later become a ground type expert. I was working in a research lab during my college career, and I was unlucky enough to be in there alone when one struck out of nowhere.

I was startled - I hadn't felt an earthquake in years, after all - and I dropped and shattered my sample on the cool tile. Irritated, I let out a curse and bent down to pick it up, not noticing that one of the gas cylinders had fallen over after not being secured properly by whoever was there before me. It hit the ground, cracking against the floor. The compressed gas rocketed the large, human-sized metal canister across the room until it hit me in the neck, presumably snapping my spine and killing me instantly. All I remember is an immense, acute pain before blacking out into a welcoming realm of silence.

...I don't know how much time passed before I woke up again. It felt like a dream - a long, restless dream - one where I was constantly tossing and turning. Occasionally, I would break away from it to see rapid flashes of images - blood, the smile of a woman with long, black hair and dark eyes, a crib in an enormous and lavishly furnished room, a cheerful woman in that room with vivid purple hair - only to fall back into that slumber not much later. I didn't really question any of it - after all, I'd had strange dreams before (free-flying through the air and a zombie apocalypse come to mind as specific examples) and I hadn't really questioned them in context. I just went with it, so why would this be any different?

Eventually though, I did wake up and stay conscious. Blinking away the last bits of my sleepy state, my tired eyes turned towards the room around me. The wallpaper was striped red and pink, trimmed with black lace. The carpeting looked lush, and it too was a black. From the ceiling hung a golden chandelier, the limbs of it spiraling out like vines. There were large, french windows on the left side of the room, and a huge set of gold-painted double doors on the wall across front of me. It was the same room as my dream - and the fancy couches and glass table in the center of it were occupied by the same two women that I saw there as well. The black-haired women was wearing a red suit today, and she turned towards me as I sat up (though it was rather difficult - and why was I still in the crib again?).

"Oh, Giovanna is up. She's normally rather lazy during the day, unfortunately," she said, taking a sip from a fancily patterned teacup. I was confused - she was looking at me but my name wasn't Giovanna. That sounded so old-fashioned; my name was boring, sure, but it wasn't that bad. The purple-haired woman beside her put her hand on her chest and feigned a look of hurt.

"My, how cruel you are to the poor girl! She's only three weeks old, of course she's lazy - all children are. But she's rather cute, isn't she? She probably got it from your husband," she declared loudly, standing up and skipping over to me. The other woman snorted.

"Miya, I sure hope not. He's troublesome enough as it is," she responded cooly. The purple one - Miya? - poked my cheek. I pouted. Why was her hand so big? Hell, why was _she_ so big? It didn't make sense unless I was still dreaming - maybe _Attack on Titan_ but with friendly titans?

"Aw, she doesn't like it - c'mon, come to Auntie Miya!" she said, pouting a little herself. I tried to stand up but I couldn't, and I looked down at myself to find out why and… I was met with baby legs. And a diaper. I slowly raised my trembling hands in disbelief and it only confirmed my fears - I was a baby. My lower lip quivered and my eyes began to water. The woman looked panicked now.

"Oy, Boss Lady! Your girl's about to cry!" she yelped. The woman sighed, placing her tea down on the table before elegantly gliding towards Miya.

"Then leave her be," she said, grabbing the other woman's hand. "She'll calm down in a bit - she hasn't really cried before, surprisingly. Let's just go somewhere else for now and come back later." She started tugging on Miya's arm, pulling her out of the room.

"Hey, that's not any way to treat a kid! You gotta comfort them, nurture them, mother them -" the doors slammed behind them, cutting her off. If I was actually a child, I would've burst into tears, distraught at being denied the comfort Miya pointed out that I obviously needed. As it was though… I was an adult - barely, but still. An adult in a child's body, stuck in limbo as my tiny brain pieced together what I knew.

This… this wasn't normal. If _I_ wasn't _me_ in a dream, I was always in some sort of third person omniscient point of view. And I had _never_ dreamed of myself as a baby before. And these recurring flashes - I don't often have repeated dreams, but when I did it was only repeated one time before sinking back into the abyss of my subconscious. No, there was only one solution, especially since I still remember the smack of cold metal against my neck -

I had died, and had gotten a second chance. A second chance in the life of a young girl with a cold mother and an eccentric aunt. But it was a second chance nonetheless - and, well, it would just have to do.

* * *

Unfortunately, making do with what I have is easier said than done. Not that I'm complaining or anything - or, well, not too much anyways. It quickly became apparent that I, being "the Boss' daughter" had a very financially secure future. In other words, that black-haired woman from earlier was my mother, and she was loaded. Miya carted me around and showed off the mansion once (her enthusiasm was growing on me, okay?) and told me that it would all be mine one day. She also made it very clear she wanted a pay raise.

"Oh, who does your mother think she is, working me to the bone? We agents deserve a little more money for what we put up with - stealing isn't easy, quick work! ...Or at least it shouldn't be one done properly."

Oh yeah, and my new mother owned a crime syndicate. I didn't know the name of it quite yet, my eyes still not quite developed enough to focus on the red writing on the member's black uniforms (hell, the only reason I was able to describe my room so accurately was because of the relatively simple pattern and color variation - that, and I was relatively used to poor eyesight from my previous life).

So… I was the heir of a crime syndicate. Which, depending on how tight security there was and how big it was, meant that there could be assassination attempts made on me. Or at least I think that's how crime works? This was all new to me, after all. Either way, it worried me. After all, I didn't want to die again so quickly.

This leads us to one boring day, just like any other, where I was sitting in my crib once again, waiting for someone to take me somewhere to do something. I was rather bored, left only to think and poke at my pudgy skin. I… really wanted a distraction.

I was feeling down, to be honest. I'd accepted that I'd died and be facing a new life, but the implications had only just begun to sink in. My mom, dad, and brother - I wouldn't be able to see them again, would I? I got to say goodbye to them properly when I left for college, but… the thought was sobering. At least I didn't really have many friends left, so I didn't disappoint too many people on that front. But… everything I did was for nought - all those nights studying when I could've been talking to people or doing something that I enjoyed were wasted.

...I would say I'd try not to do it again, but honestly it served me well enough the first time around. Not many people to miss me and enough praise to make me at least feel somewhat less empty inside. So… there's that, I guess.

I supposed I wouldn't try to distance myself from people this time around, nor compare those here to those there, as it wouldn't be good for my mental health. It was what it was, and though it sucked… I had to keep moving forward, right? Moping wouldn't really help in the long run.

And with that, I dubbed the black-haired woman "mother" to separate her from my previous "mom" and locked the crippling feeling of heavy dread and loss deep in my heart. I at least had to play the part of a baby convincingly for now, and I'd figure out the rest as it came.

Suddenly, the windows to the left of my crib broke open, glass breaking and spilling out all over the floor. Two men clad in gray crashed through them, rolling onto the floor and rushing towards me. I let out a cry in alarm and moved back, and two of mother's black uniformed officers burst in and ran towards me. One drew a gun and shot one of the grey men down, and the other intruder grabbed a knife from his belt and threw it at the one who slay his accomplice. The other man in black kicked it away before grabbing me from the crib and leaping back towards the doors, most certainly breaking the laws of physics. The first one of mother's officers then shot the remaining grey man dead too, and their corpses were left to spill blood out onto the glass covering my bedroom floor.

I gagged and looked away, burying my face in the man's chest. He looked down at me, briefly startled at my change in position.

"Hey Mini-Boss, it'll be alright. They're dead now, see? The bad men can't get to you," he said softly. The other one scoffed.

"She's a kid, Tommy. Of course she doesn't want to look at the bodies - hell, I think they're a little gross too, man." I shuttered. He was right - the only reason I didn't throw up was that it looked more like something out of an anime than a real dead body (not that I'd seen one before, but I could imagine). Everything in this world had a cartoon-like quality to it, and it was rather peculiar, actually.

"I told you not to call me that - though I 'spose you're right. We should bring her to Madame Boss just to be safe." And with that, the two men ran down the hallway, taking winding twists and turns until they eventually burst through another set of doors into an office. It took a while, but the time passed quickly - I was too busy denying everything that happened. _Two people didn't die in front of me - no, I'm definitely not hugging a murderer and about to burst into tears, right? The bodies on the floor - no, no, no, don't think about that!_

"Thomas, Edward, what are you doing here? And why does my daughter look mildly traumatized?" mother demanded, and I finally pried myself away from Thomas' shirt and looked towards her. She was irritated, tapping the feathery end of her fountain pen on her desk. Edward gulped.

"Madame Boss, two intruders entered the mansion and tried to take Giovanna away. Tom and I heard the commotion, entered her room, and disposed of them," he replied. She growled.

"Tch, wonderful - another mess to clean up. Have Unit 042 take care of the bodies, and take her to stay with Miyamoto until her room is ready," she said, standing up.

"Yes ma'am!" the two chirped in sync. I turned my gaze back to Thomas' shirt. Even after almost being killed, the woman didn't even care enough to hold her child, much less fuss over it. I felt a little disappointed in her, to be honest. Though… wait - his shirt had a red "R" on it, and they called her "Madame Boss" earlier, so did that mean -

"She didn't even cry though, Giovanna's a tough one - she'll be a great asset to Team Rocket, that's for sure," Thomas said, shifting me around in his arms and giving me a toothy smile.

It did. I was reborn as Team Rocket's next leader and Kanto's eighth gym - Giovanni. In hindsight, it was obvious - Giovanna? What kind of name is that? Well, at least I was still a girl. Yet… that'd mean my new life would be difficult, and there was no guaranteeing I would even make it to "present day" in the anime (and it _had_ to be the anime - Madame Boss was an anime original character only appearing in the Japanese-only radio dramas that… oops, I was geeking out again; at least that explained why the world looked cartoon-like, right?). And… and - I'd have to run a crime syndicate. There was that. I was doomed, wasn't I?

* * *

 **AN: Ooh boy, this one's a doozy. I really, really want to write an SI-OC story, as there's only one self-proclaimed one I could find earlier in the _Pokemon_ section. I went on a binge of those fics earlier, _Naruto_ and _Harry Potter_ housing the most of them, but I was sorrowfully disappointed when I couldn't find more here. So… I thought I'd try writing my own. Just a disclaimer, even though the OC starts as a very similar person as I am when I write this, I know I have faults, and I'll try very hard to keep the character from ending up too "perfect," as it were. The tone of the story itself (from what I have planned, anyways) should always have an underlying feeling of dread, and many of my bad habits _will_ come back to bite Giovanna in the ass later down the line. I'll try to update this story once a week, but we'll see how that goes. Hoped you enjoyed reading, and have a great day!**


	2. Chapter 2

The next eight months or so were rather relaxing, thankfully. I heard whispers about the people in gray, background noise from grunts while being carried through the halls or from phone calls quickly cut off by mother once I was brought into the room, but nothing concrete. Rumors said that they were perhaps a new crime ring, one brought about to capitalize on the working model of organizational strength that Team Rocket provided. But rumors they were, so even though there was an undercurrent of worry that the heir was nearly murdered shortly after birth, nothing came from it and the concern eventually died down, even if it did not disappear completely.

Miya was still Miya, and the enthusiastic purple-haired woman continued to talk at me and carry me around the mansion. I learned that the third floor east wing was where mother and I were housed, along with some hand-selected top agents like Miya and an unassuming man with spiky brown hair and silver eyes. Apparently he was ruthless in the field, and Miya said although he seemed friendly that she didn't trust him that much. On the east wing's second floor were offices for any Rocket above the rank of grunt (though commonly they were shared spaces with the exception of my mother and her executives), and the first floor held temporary housing for those between missions. The west wing's first floor consisted of an enormous room made for speeches and rallies to go with large-scale missions or company-wide announcements, a cafeteria, and dining hall. The second floor of the west wing held a myriad of meeting rooms and a large library. Higher ranked members had slightly nicer temporary rooms on the third floor, which was also where the permanent rooms were for the manor's staff, and outside there were several training fields and a fitness center within the old staff house. Finally, though I hadn't been there quite yet, Miya claimed the labs were all kept locked away in the basement along with any acquired Pokemon. Strangely enough, I had yet to see one in person, as it was a firm rule that Pokemon were not allowed to be outside of their pokeballs on the main floors of the mansion.

This time also served well to help me come to better terms with my continued existence. Yes, I would no longer be able to finish my degree, nor see anyone I used to know, but… that was life. If there was anything my first life had taught me, it was that people come and go - some just stay around longer than others, and why should that be any different with my family? Friends I thought were close moved away, and with others we merely drifted apart. People have their own needs, and circumstance is a cruel mistress, so even if it was a bitter truth to swallow, it was indeed the truth. Once I finished college, I wasn't likely to see them very often anyways. This was just… a more permanent separation. Yes, that's all it was - an inevitability. I won't deny it hurt though, cutting away what little ties and support network that I had. But… they can't help me. Not here.

Additionally, this gave me more of a chance to think on my future. Or, well, _Giovanna's_ future. It was strange at first, and I still hoped that Madame Boss would have another child so that I could forge my own path away from Team Rocket, but I knew it was a fragile hope. For now though, I resolved to behave as if I was the only heir. I didn't necessarily want Team Rocket, but from the anime it was a well-established, large part of the Kanto and Johto regions and their cultures, even if not seen that often. The anime plot wasn't that important to me, but it did shape a portion of my first childhood, and I didn't want to condemn the characters to a poor fate by accident. For now though, I would try to place myself in a similar position to the anime Giovanni in order to fill the role that he did, but… there were no guarantees. There was nothing really shown about his childhood, and I was still my own person - I would play along to the best of my abilities, yet at the end of the day there were still some lines I would not cross.

Mother, though, had gotten better. Though seemingly averse to me, she occasionally showed a soft smile when a particularly challenging mission went right or when she was talking to her husband. Ah, yes - the man who was my father in this life. I still remember the first time I heard his voice. He was pleasant sounding, I suppose. Though I should probably go into more detail.

That day, Miya had finished showing me off to some scientists she knew during dinner, and she had finally decided to let them be and carry me off to mother for our "bonding time." Now, she said it was a good "mother-daughter experience," but it was really just me laying on the floor and poking some blocks while mother did paperwork and occasionally called her executives at the other bases to discuss future operations and ongoing police investigations. This time, though, was different.

"Oh Giovanna, you really need a nickname. It's a real mouthful for such a cute kid - Gio, maybe? Nah, too masculine. Anna? Nope, too generic. You need something _unique_ , something that screams you. How about Vanna? Does that sound nice to you?" the purple-haired woman chattered. I gurgled in affirmation, glad at least that we were finally going somewhere. That, and I was in desperate need of a nickname. Her face lit up.

"Aw, so cute! That's definitely what I'll be calling you from now on. Ooh, we're here!" she declared, blasting open mother's office door. This office was the same one I'd been brought to after the assassination attempt, and it had become much more familiar to me since then. The black and grey striped walls stood out against the blood red carpet, and as per usual mother was seated at her plush leather desk chair and sleek black desk. Miya skipped over and handed me to her.

"Here ya go Boss, one certified Mini-Boss!" she said, grinning. Mother sighed at her eccentricity.

"Fine, fine. You can go now, Miya," she said, adjusting me in her arms. She waited until Miya saluted and left the room before looking at me with her dark eyes quizzically and sighing, gently placing me near the other end of the room on the lush carpet and tossing me a stuffed Teddiursa.

"Here you go, child. Stay quiet while I make this call," she said, turning around after one last glance in my direction. I hugged the bear and flopped over, sprawling onto the floor and closing my eyes as she picked up the corded phone on her desk and dialed a number.

 _Brrrring….brrriiing….br-_

"Hello dear, how was your family in Italy?" mother asked calmly, a soft smile on her face. I stilled. She… was is a good mood when talking to someone on the phone? And she called them dear? I was curious now, and I strained my ears to hear the rest of the conversation. Unfortunately, she was too far away to hear clearly, so I began to struggle my way towards her. The dark-haired woman was genuinely laughing and enjoying the conversation - the only time I saw that was when something went her way. Sure, she grudgingly enjoyed her time with Miya, but that the extent of her happiness. It was _weird_ that she was enjoying this so much, and curious person that I was, I wanted to find out _why_.

Straining my puny arms and legs, I began to crawl forwards, slowly but surely worming my way across the room. I probably looked ridiculous, before finally mustering up my strength to get on my hands and knees and abandoning the Teddiursa midway across my trek. _Sorry, bear friend,_ I thought, _but you're only slowing me down._ Eventually, I made it to mother's desk chair and could make out a few words of the conversation. Mainly, "darling," " _amore_ ," "wonderful," and "troublesome." Unfortunately, I could not stop my momentum, and I accidentally fell right onto mother's feet and high heels. Amazing baby maneuver skills I did not have.

Mother made an alarmed squeak before looking down and realizing it was me. I looked up at her, slightly spooked too as I didn't expect to fall onto her. The man at the other end of the line let out a hearty laugh.

"Darling - _amore_ \- what was that?" he asked. Mother blushed.

"Ah, Giovanna simply decided to crawl over here and unceremoniously flop onto my feet. That's all, dear," she replied, embarrassed. He chuckled.

"Ne, put here on the line, will you? I want to say hello to _la mia bambina_ ," he said warmly. Mother bent down and carefully hoisted me up as she replied.

"She doesn't speak yet, so don't expect anything but babbling."

"Ah, she's a mere child yet, no? I'm sure she'll figure it out sometime," he responded. I let out a small happy whine, thinking that was all he wanted.

"Aw, so cute! I want pictures, _amore_ , as soon as you can get some. No, no - I'll see both of you within the week, I'm flying back to Japan tomorrow, so don't worry small one! Papa will be there soon," he said, the words rapidly falling out of his mouth. I could practically hear his face light up at the thought of seeing his family.

"Yes, dear. Don't you have to pack still?" my mother said, letting out a small laugh at his enthusiasm.

"Yes, yes - I should go do that. See you soon."

"Goodbye," mother said softly before hanging up the phone with a gentle click. She then looked down at me, who was still in her arms.

"You know, I should be mad at you for interrupting," she stated. "But, he was happy. And that's all that really matters, right?" I smiled toothily, and she chuckled earnestly.

"Oh, you're going to be a troublemaker one day - just like your father."

* * *

That was, I think, the most relaxed I'd ever seen her. For her husband to mellow out the woman so much, to make her so undeniably happy and joyful, he must've been quite the man. Hell, mother's mood was noticeably better the next day, and for that, the whole base's mood was much lighter and upbeat. It wouldn't last forever, though; some things just aren't meant to be. The next day when Miya went to deposit me with mother, she found her screaming into the phone in a fit of sadness and rage.

"No, it can't be! This has to be a mistake - you're security is incompetent if so. Terrible - no, wretched! He'll survive, he has too… He won't, he _can't_ , be brought down by something like this!" she cried out, agonized. I could only hope it wasn't what I thought it was.

It was, though, and Miya silently handed me off to a grunt standing guard at the door and went in to comfort her boss, slamming the door behind her. From what I could garner from eavesdropping on that conversation was that the passenger plane carrying her husband had disappeared without a trace, and everyone on that flight was presumed dead. The only clue to what had happened on that plane was grainy security footage containing a few frames of four men and women in gray suits, similar to those who tried to kill me eight months ago. Mother was understandably heartbroken, but held out hope. A small but bright fire, burning inside her heart - hope that one day he would come back to her with that same bright smile that swept her off her feet.

That all changed roughly a week after he vanished. Miya and I were off to my daily visit with mother when we noticed blood pooled at the front of her office door. Miya once again handed me off to the guard stationed at the office's door before running in, frantic. This time though, there were two guards - and the other one nodded to the one holding me, looking concerned and wary.

"This... isn't something a child should witness. It may be best to take her back to her room." The guard holding me quickly agreed, and I was rapidly swept away.

I... I heard from the grunts that were sent to care for me over the next couple of days that the blood was from the body of her husband, which was snuck in under the noses of everyone on the premises (quite the feat considering everyone had at least some combat and situational awareness training). Mother herself wasn't physically harmed, but… well - being sent the body of a loved one in the mail would be... a mortifying experience, to say the least. There was even a threat attached - "This is what's left of your husband. You and your child are next if you cross us again." It was signed _Team Mythic_.

I… I didn't want to believe he was dead - not like that. But at that point, I knew it was true, the grunts had no reason to lie, especially since they didn't even expect that I was listening in. That was another thing I learned over the months confined there - grunt gossip was surprisingly accurate, and with a large chunk of the organization dedicated to thievery and espionage, it made sense. Still... the small flames of hope we held in our hearts were soundly snuffed out, and that man I had hoped to meet I never would. It was at that point that any hope for a happy childhood this time around seemed to crumble and wither away.

* * *

 **AN: So... you may have noticed I did quite a bit of editing on the last scene of this chapter. It's because, after thinking about it, I realized it was way too dark to present directly, and the more somber approach I took here is more realistic than what I had earlier. That and I was afraid it skirted the rating line a bit too close for comfort. Upon reread, the old ending seemed to come out of nowhere, which was sort of the point, but it also looked to be there simply for the shock value, which wasn't what I was going for when originally writing it. Either way, I'm sorry for that, and I'll try to do better in the future. On a lighter note, thank you so much for all the support - I really appreciate it! Also, the whole "Japan" and "Italy" thing will be addressed next chapter, it is semi-relevant, and as the anime references real world places like "France," "Las Vegas," and "New York City" during the first season, it isn't too out of place. I want to develop the world more than what was seen in the show though, as I think that the world seen through the eyes of an adult would seem more nuanced, and more social issues would be apparent on a first glance. As such, considering the approach I'll be taking to world building and Giovanna's impact on the world, it would probably be safe to say that this story is sort of an AU, even if pretty much all of the events in the anime should still take place relatively unimpeded. To make up for the mistake I made earlier though, I will be posting two chapters this week, one on Saturday and one at some point before then. Again, thanks for the support and have a great week!**


	3. Chapter 3

After that, everything moved by in a blur. I was kept out of the loop, since I was a small child and all, and neither Miya nor mother visited me anymore. I was left to the care of a seemingly infinite amount of grunts, rarely seeing the same ones more than once. I only found out details of what was happening around me in passing - father's funeral, mother gaining control of his company (the branch in Japan that is, the European half was left to his other relatives), and a long-term operation to gather information on Team Mythic commencing were the key highlights.

I also spoke my first words (or at least first ones that those here have heard, I could be rather talkative in my last life). The two grunts watching me were getting a bit flirty with each other, and I was feeling kind of uncomfortable as a result. So I spoke up - "Tired, I wan' sleep." The two were startled at first, wondering aloud briefly if I had ever spoken before quickly shrugging it off and leaving me in the crib. It worked out well for them too, after all, as they could continue uninterrupted. I took a bit more initiative and began talking more at the grunts after that, particularly when I needed food or sleep.

Within this same time frame, I was growing rather bored. I knew I didn't do anything wrong (at least I didn't think I did), but it still hurt to be left without the two people who, up to that point, were my entire world. I realized though that I had grown complacent, simply lazing away and wasting the time I could use to do _something, anything._ Last time, I died before I could achieve my goals, self-assigned or not. I wanted to write a book, graduate college, start a YouTube channel, travel the world - and even if some of these goals were frivolous, and some, like the book and YouTube channel, I had long ago realized that they would probably never happen, I still had my regrets. Therefore, I then decided that I would try to set more realistic goals this time around and put even more effort into achieving them. It would be a bit different, but I didn't want to leave this life with another set of regrets.

My first goal would be gaining access to the library.

I wanted to study up on this world, learn about its history, culture, and important laws so that if I decided to go on a Pokemon journey, as I always longed for as a child, I would be prepared to do so and wouldn't come off as naive to others. Even if I decided not to though, I still believed it would be worthwhile information to have (and besides, I was curious - was the Great Pokemon War an actual thing or just a crazy theory?).

So, once again, I spoke up.

"I wanna story," I demanded, cautiously taking my first steps towards my caretakers of the day after being haphazardly left to crawl around after breakfast. They looked at me, perplexed. One of them, a petite teenager with shoulder-length hot pink hair, spoke up.

"Is… is she supposed to be walking yet?" she wondered. The other one, a bulkier boy with pale blond hair, shrugged.

"It's close enough to normal, I think. A little ahead of time, sure, but she's already one - I think she's probably just a touch smarter than average," he rambled. I was startled. I'd already spent a year here? Why had nobody told me - shouldn't this be a big milestone for a kid?

"Yeah… should we get her a book? I don't know if there are any children's stories in the library - I know we got some romance novels, but… I don't know if those would exactly be appropriate for her," she said. The blond one looked at me quizzically with his emerald green eyes before wandering over and picking me up.

"Well, there's only one way to find out."

And that was how we ended up browsing books for nearly three hours until the blond one finally found a book they deemed appropriate to read to me.

The book chosen was well-worn, with a battered binding and leafy pages that seemed to crumble away at the edges with each turn. It had no title, but instead had an almost mosaic-like painting of Arceus and Mew adorning the cover. The pages themselves housed more paintings of legendaries along with information about their power, home region(s), and sightings across the ages. The most interesting part of the book to me though were the pages documenting the various legends surrounding them. Even if it was at a basic reading level, it made sense that Team Rocket had it, as the information compiled was pretty thorough.

"Here, Giovanna," the pink-haired girl said, pointing to a beautiful picture of a blue and purple creature running across a river. "This is a picture of Suicune. Now, the books says…"

* * *

From then on, library visits became a common occurrence for me and my grunts. It was… nice to be able to be read to again. Sometimes, their pacing was either a bit too slow or too fast, which could be irritating at times (the former occurring more often), but I appreciated the effort that they put in.

The routine helped me too, as it made it easy to learn how to read - and yes, though I was able to read already, I still had to relearn it as this world used a completely different writing system. It was easy though as I already had speaking down (which appeared to be the same as English to me for whatever reason), but it was still a challenge matching new symbols to existing words and phrases. Eventually, I did master it and was able to convince some of the grunts to let me bring books back to my room, and the rest is history. It was a breath of fresh air to be able to do something myself for once, and several weeks after tales of legendaries, trainers, and heroes from days long passed, I finally worked up the courage to swipe a history textbook to bring back with me (in the front was a faded name, I suppose an old Team Rocket member went to college or something, if that even existed here).

Sighing after the grunts of the day finally left, I snuck over to the window and cautiously opened the book, letting the moonlight illuminate its pages. And… I was shocked.

I stopped suddenly while skimming through its table of contents. _No, that can't be right,_ I thought. The chapter titles were eerily reflective of events that occurred in the world I lived in before - the warring states period, Russo-Japanese War, the two World Wars... _it was all the same._ Well, with the exception of Pokemon and the lore surrounding them, that is. Human history though… it was so, _so_ similar. It was baffling - and I had to know more. So, I stayed up until midnight reading, trying to decipher what it meant.

I… learned a lot. The book stopped at the end of the 1960s (not that I had much of an idea what year it actually was anyways), but it gave me a good enough idea of what happened to start drawing some conclusions.

First, the facts - most events and locations were the same as where I came from, except that in battles (the war kind, not the ones from the games and anime) Pokemon often took part alongside their trainers. Additionally, there were a few Pokemon-centered conflicts that occured here but not back home, and some locations or kingdoms came about only because of Pokemon, and therefore did not exist back there either. One example of that is the kingdom of Cameron, where the legendary Sir Aaron came from (which, coincidentally, was one of the stories a grunt read to me earlier that week). Also, because people could travel across oceans and through mountains with the help of their Pokemon companions, trading across continents and cultures was much easier to conduct. This led to small European-like kingdoms popping up across Asia and vice versa. However, even with these differences, the most shocking parts for me were the ones surrounding the world wars.

Astonishingly, even though they took place in the same decades, the causes and responses to them were very different.

The first war's cause was a territory dispute (due to a language barrier) which caused the alliance system to implode, and the war itself was also heavily centered around the role of Pokemon combatants in a world full of new and increasingly deadly weaponry. In the past, Pokemon were given weapons and armor, but they only used their special abilities for support roles like changing the battlefield environment or the weather for a strategic advantage. And as a result, mosts countries banned the use of Pokemon in this war to protect them while letting the humans duke it out with planes, guns, cannons, tanks, and the like. At the end, somehow - most likely through the power of a rare legendary Pokemon - an international language was established and people were now able to inherently understand each other across all borders (which is probably why I could understand what Miya and mother were saying but had to relearn how to write, now that I think about it). Unfortunately, the second war was not nearly as kind to Pokemon companions.

...And yes, the second one is called the Great Pokemon War. It was devastating, to say the least.

In the years leading up to it, Pokemon battling with large teams had become commonplace as pokeballs just became cheap enough for the average person to purchase, and medicine strong enough to heal Pokemon quickly and efficiently after battle also became more readily available. Six Pokemon per trainer was the standard, but the rules varied by region - some only permitted four or five while others allowed up to nine at a time. Pokemon leagues became more popular as well. Although they had existed for hundreds of years, it wasn't uncommon for trainers to lose several partners along the way, which discouraged many from entering in the first place.

When the war broke out, people were on a battling craze - and as such, their Pokemon partners joined them on the battlefield, utilizing various attacks to devastate their opponents. Both sides used this strategy though, so instead of becoming a one-sided slaughter, the war dragged on and on as each country kept on losing more and more young soldiers. Eventually, multiple sides developed nuclear weapons, and a truce was called to prevent the world from imploding on itself. Neither country trusted the others not to pull the metaphorical trigger, so from there countries themselves were disbanded and the current system of regional governments fell into place. After that, global communications practically ceased for the average person, and only the rich and powerful could afford to travel across oceans with some small exceptions. This is also why although everywhere had a new "regional" name, most people simply refer to overseas locations by their old names as they just don't know what the places they're referring to are called now (or they simply don't care to correct themselves).

I was stunned, to say the least. It made some sense, but… that the world I loved as a child could be secretly so immersed in violence and bloodshed was difficult to accept. Either way, I loved stories, history, and learning in general, so this was a fun little adventure.

Flipping through the pages once again, I glanced outside. _It's getting rather late, I should probably go to bed soo-_

My thoughts were cut off as the door slowly creaked open. Footsteps began approaching where I was sprawled across the floor, and I closed the book and turned towards them, hoping it wasn't an assassin like the last time an unexpected visitor came in.

Thankfully, it wasn't - it was just mother. I hadn't seen her in a while, so I was curious as to why she decided to show up now. I didn't get my answer though. Instead, she squinted at the book in my hands before clicking her tongue in annoyance.

"You're reading a textbook. At midnight." I gulped.

"Yeah… sorry, I just finished. I'll go night night now-" she cut me off.

"The grunts said you were growing fast - all I see is a freak, not a child." She then proceeded to storm out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

I was confused and nervous - the first time I saw mother in ages, and she says that? It… it didn't bode well.

* * *

I still didn't know why she decided to visit me in the middle of the night, but the next morning, two people dressed in slightly different uniforms than usual (they both wore small red scarves for some reason in addition to their Rocket uniforms) came in and escorted me to a room with a makeup table and a rack of tiny dresses (tiny as in size - I quickly deduced they were for me - I was rather small, after all). It reminded me of the dressing rooms I used as a kid back when I did theatre. I was curious, but I held my tongue. If mother had finally come to terms with her husband's death (I refused to call him father, he wasn't around long enough to earn that title - though really, neither was mother) and had something planned for me, I didn't want to accidentally make her angry again like last night.

Wordlessly, the two passed me off to a smiling woman in a light grey sweater with a red "R" pin. Her pale hair was done up is a sloppy bun and her face was lightly coated in makeup.

"You must be Giovanna, are you excited for today?" she asked as soon as the others left the room. She then gently guided me over to a chair and gestured for me to sit down in it as she waited for my response.

"I… no, I don't really know what today is, so…" I trailed off. She feigned a look of hurt and dramatically placed her hand on her chest.

"Oh no, child - you wound me! It's your birthday, silly!" she exclaimed with a grin. I paused.

"Really?" I asked. She nodded.

"Yup - August 1st! And since last year your momma was still sad then, we have to throw a proper party now for you. You'll get to meet a bunch of new people," she declared. "So we gotta get you a pretty dress and all 'cuz it's a fancy party for rich little boys and girls like you! I'm here to give you a makeover - don't worry, I promise it'll be fun."

It wasn't fun. She poked and prodded at my face and skin, making me constantly dress and undress in a variety of poofy skirted little kid dresses, all of which seemed to be more uncomfortable than the last. I tried to cooperate though - if it was a rich people party it'd probably be necessary (wouldn't want to make a bad impression after all). And besides, I'd had plenty of experience with situations like this anyways (the dressing up, that is), even if that didn't make it any more enjoyable or bearable.

After what seemed like an eternity, the woman - whose name I learned was Emily - had finally deemed me appropriate for the public.

"Aw, so adorable! Here kiddo, there's a mirror over there so you can see what you look like too." Carefully taking my hand, she brought me over to it. I was, for lack of a better word, speechless.

I didn't look anything like I used to.

My skin was a tad tanner than it used to be, my hair was light brown with a tinge of orange, my eyes - the kaleidoscope eyes of green, blue, and hazel I used to take so much pride in - were pitch black like a never-ending void. The only thing that carried over was that my hair still fell in gentle waves, even if the length wasn't the same.

Logically, I knew my hair color was different. I knew my skin was too, but seeing it all together - seeing a small child in a black dress with red ribbons move as I did was… heartbreaking.

I always knew I could never go back, I always knew I wouldn't look like the person I was before, never be the person I was before, but in that moment, all I wanted to do was to punch, scream, and kick at that mirror - to smash it to pieces. I… I just wanted to watch the glass shatter across the floor, and this new, strange image to break along with it.

* * *

 **AN: And title drop! I really like the end of this chapter, it gives Giovanna something to anticipate for next time and a mental hurdle to overcome (also, her mom is mean - there's a reason why she came in her room then and why she said that to Giovanna though, it'll probably come up in a chapter or two). I think this one turned out well, giving at least some insight into the world's history. This is an extra chapter for this week too, so there *should* be another one up Saturday too. Have a great week!**


	4. Chapter 4

"Oy, kid!" a voice called out from the doorway, shaking me away from the cold grip that my new appearance placed upon my mind. "If you're done staring at yourself, it's time to go!" My head snapped around - the voice sounded vaguely familiar, after all.

It turned out to be one of the two who saved me from the assassins so long ago. I didn't remember his name, but he was the one who didn't carry me around afterwards. He, surprisingly, was not wearing a Team Rocket uniform, and was instead donning a sleek black suit, sunglasses, and an earpiece. The sunglasses were tucked away in the suit's front pocket, and he had his long, straight black hair tied up in a ponytail. He tapped his foot in annoyance.

"Kid, we don't have all day - follow me," he said before storming off down the hallway. I ran after him.

"Bye, Giovanna!" the blonde woman shouted from behind me. "Have fun!"

Eventually, after running after that damn ponytail for nearly five minutes, his pacing slowed down. He was tall and had very long legs - even if he wasn't necessarily running, his fast walking skills still exceeded any pace I could reasonably keep up with. Though really, he wasn't slowing down out of consideration for me, he simply reached the front doors of the manor. Panting, I ran up to him.

"Hey, familiar face guy - why can't you walk any slower? It's difficult to run in these flats - they cut into my feet," I let out between breaths.

"Ah, so you do speak," he responded. "I'm a tiny bit surprised you remember me - you were really little. I'm Edward, and I'll be one of your security guards for the night." Suddenly, the front doors burst open, and the redhead responsible spoke up.

"Ed, look at the Mini-Boss! She's all dressed up formal, that's good. Well, it's time to head over to the helicopter, so follow me," he said before walking off. He was wearing the same outfit as Edward, but he was wearing his sunglasses unlike the other man. I trailed after him, and Edward followed behind me. He looked familiar too, actually, so I decided to simply ask him about it.

"You wouldn't happen to be that Tommy person, would you?" He halted mid-step and pivoted around.

"Yeah - though I don't really like being called that. Good on you for remembering though! Please call me Tom or Thomas from now on," he replied, smiling. I nodded. Edward scoffed.

"Ah, I kinda feel hurt that you don't remember my name now, but whatever - we have quite a ways to walk to get the the helicopter pad still, so we better get going." Thomas quickly agreed, and picked up the pace slightly as we walked around to the back of the manor.

Sighing, I looked up at the sky as I followed behind him - it was a pale blue, with fluffy clouds dotting across its edges. The trees were a vibrant green, as usual for the summer, and the grass swayed gently in the breeze. The manor's beige bricks and the colorful flowers in the landscaping - reds, purples, blues, and yellows - added more warmth to the environment. As I felt the sunlight dance across my skin, I could only feel grateful to be outside again. I could count the times on one hand I've been outdoors in this life up to that point (three, and two of them were with Miya), and I dearly missed it. Before I played outside in the woods often as a kid, so nature did hold some fond memories.

Once we made it to the helicopter pad, a purple-haired woman ran out from the inside of the black helicopter that sat atop it. She bounced over to me enthusiastically, her red dress draping out behind her.

"Vanna - I haven't seen you in forever! How are you? Aw, you're already two, and in that dress you look all grown up now! I'm so sorry I haven't been able to visit you earlier - there was so much to do with Team Mythic coming out of nowhere and all that - I was very, very busy, but I couldn't miss your first big birthday party!" she exclaimed, scooping me up into a big hug. I tensed, not quite used to any affectionate contact, as no one had hugged me in this life. She noticed this, looked deflated, and put me down.

"Sorry, Miss… Miya?" I asked, hoping it was her but still not quite sure. She left me, after all, and Miya was mother's friend. Mother had called me a freak, so that her friend would be so happy to see me would be… unlikely, even if Miya was always the happier one of the two. "I don't really like hugs all that much." Her lips fell into a small frown.

"Aw, taking after your mom so soon? I thought I'd still have some time before cynicism corrupted you - alas, it was never meant to be," she moped. "Oh, and it's Auntie Miya! Don't call me 'Miss.'" I perked up. It _was_ Miya, and she was still her enthusiastic, upbeat self. Edward coughed from behind me, clearing his throat.

"Lady Miyamoto, it's time to leave. Madame Boss requested that we be there in an hour," he stated. Miya sighed.

"Yes, yes - time to board then. Boys, one of you fly while I catch up with Vanna, 'kay?"

"No problem, I'll fly," Thomas said, grinning. He waltzed up to the chopper and took his place in the pilot's seat. Miya, Edward, and I entered after them and sat in the passenger seats behind him. Edward fell asleep before we even took off while Thomas was performing safety checks. Miya was chuckling at my hesitance and awe at the aircraft - I'd never been in a helicopter before, so the whole thing felt weird to me. I was never important enough to ride one last time around. Then, finally, with a steady hum the blades started up and the metal creature lurched up into the air. As we kept rising and rising, I was dumbfounded by the view - it was beautiful. Trees stretched out forever and ever, the mansion grew smaller and smaller beneath us, and a quaint city came into view, along with a large Pokemon center.

"Nice view, right?" Thomas asked. I hummed in confirmation.

"Yeah, it's pretty," I responded, kicking my feet back and forwards as I pressed myself again the window. My jaw dropped as I saw Pidgeot and Pidgeotto fly across the sky. They looked majestic, powerful - in that moment, I was in awe of them. Miya laughed.

"Well, I suppose we can catch up later - just enjoy the view for now, Vanna. It won't be around forever."

* * *

After a while, the helicopter gently touched down at a new mansion. This one had a very different aesthetic - looking like an enormous, sprawling tudor-style home instead of the classic mansion style the other one had. Additionally, the gardens seemed to go on forever, with ponds, fountains, stonework patios and walkways, tree groves, smaller gardens dedicated to specific types of flowers, and pavilions. It was elegant and gorgeous, almost ostentatious in its size.

"This is the house the rest of the world sees when they think of the Kaneshiro family," Edward said, lazily opening his eyes. "Pretty fancy, huh? That'll all be yours one day too." He stretched out his arms and put his sunglasses on. Miya gently hit his on his shoulder.

"C'mon Eddy, that's a lot of pressure to put on Vanna. Don't worry, Mini-Boss. All you have to do is stand there and smile - it won't be that bad," she exclaimed.

"Yeah, but those fancy shindigs make me want to die from boredom - I can't stand watching old men and women stroll around and stroking their own egos all night," Edward scoffed.

"Yeah, but it's has to be done," Thomas added with a sigh. "Madame Boss wants to formally introduce her daughter to society and all, now that Giovanna's old enough and she's recovered a bit from her husband's death, so…"

"Enough of that!" Miya interrupted. "No more sad talk, it's Vanna's party, even if a bunch of old rich people will be the majority of the guests, it's still not fair to her to talk about depressing subjects all day, right?" She looked to me expectantly. I shrugged.

"It's fine, don't worry about me. So… how do I have to behave again?" I asked. Miya laughed as we stepped out of the helicopter.

"Oh, you just have to stand next to your mom and shake hands with the guests as they enter. After that, you'll be free to roam around with Eddy and Tom and pick up some dinner from the displays, and you can go to bed pretty much any time after ten," she said. "But enough of that, let's go see your mom before the party - I'm sure she'll love to see that cute little dress of yours."

I didn't believe she would care too much, but either way Edward and Thomas flanked us as Miya began to lead me inside. We passed countless servants bustling about, preparing the main entrance with a variety of foods and drinks. The floor was swirling gray and black marble, and the walls were decorated with tall, white pillars and large windows. Several maroon, gold, and white furniture pieces were arranged along the edges of the room - whether it be as small sofas, individual chairs, or small tables. In the center of the room was a large staircase with a dark wood railing and red carpet that split into two separate stairways as it approached the second floor of the mansion. The entrance was large, about the size of half a football field, and Miya guided us up the left staircase and towards two rooms near the end of the hallway.

"On the right is the room you'll be staying in tonight, Vanna," she started, "and on the left is your mom's room. She should be there now, so let's drop in and say hello, okay?" I nodded, and she opened the door and skipped right in, tackling mother into a hug.

"Kaneshiro! Look at how big your little girl has gotten - cute, right?" the purple-haired woman exclaimed. Mother sighed, twisting the skirt of her cocktail dress in her hands. The fabric started out as black and faded to red as it became closer to the floor.

"Miyamoto, let go," she said with a sigh. "I don't really have time for this - I need to collect myself before the party starts. It's only an hour or so until the first guests arrive." Miya frowned.

"I'm not letting go until you tell me how adorable Vanna looks!"

"You gave her one of your ridiculous nicknames already, didn't you?" mother said, sighing. "She looks well enough for the occasion, I suppose. You've told her how to behave, right?" Mother's gaze lingered strangely long on my hair, and Miya nodded.

"Yep - just stand and smile! Don't worry, she's pretty well-behaved." It felt weird to be talked about as if I wasn't there, but I couldn't really say anything either. I tried my best not to look too uncomfortable, but Edward picked up on it anyways.

"Maybe we should go show Giovanna what her room looks like, if that's alright with you, Madame Boss," he said. Thomas nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, that will give you some more time to catch up with Agent Miyamoto as well," the redhead added softly.

"Very well, you can take the girl there. When you're done, don't bother bringing her back until the party starts," mother acquiesced. Miya gave a shout of protest at how cold mother was, but ultimately could do nothing about it. The two men guided me out of mother's room and into my own, where I found a small bookshelf next to the bed. I told Edward and Thomas that I'd simply like to read a bit until the party started, and they agreed to stand guard on the other side of the doors until then.

"Just give us a shout if you need anything," Edward said. I hummed in affirmation. As they left the room though, I heard one last thing.

"I feel kinda bad for her, ya know?" Thomas whispered. "Madame Boss isn't exactly the nicest woman around."

"Quiet," Edward replied. "It won't do any good back-talking our boss. Just guard the damn door and don't do anything stupid."

* * *

The party itself wasn't that bad, but greeting the guests was by far the worst part. As they rolled in, all the faces, suits, and dresses blurred together until my smile became strained and my legs began to tremble beneath me due to standing too long. Mother didn't notice or care, she simply continued pleasantly sharing hellos and shaking the hands of those who entered. Once in a while, she'd comment that I was rather advanced for my age - "Already reading books far beyond her years," she said. It felt anything but sincere after her comment the night before, however.

I… I knew it couldn't be anything personal, and I tried not to care all that much, but I was a kid again, dammit, and it still _hurt_. Eventually, the party began and mother gave a brief speech from the top of the stairs (something about being oh so glad everyone could make it, but it all just rang fake and hollow to me). Edward and Thomas guided me over to some food tables, where I browsed around before finally settling on a small amount of chicken alfredo pasta with a side salad and a glass of water. Edward, being the tallest of the three of us, found a small seating arrangement near a window, and we all sat down and ate. They had gotten some food too, crab legs and wine for Edward and pizza and sparkling apple juice for Thomas.

Thankfully, no one appeared to be all that interested in me after the initial hello at the doors, and instead opted to talk with my mother or their own friends who had also been invited. The only exception to this was an eight year old boy with dark blue hair (and yes, some people had some crazy hair colors here in comparison to my last life, though it didn't bother me too much - people dyed their hair all the time, and sometimes colors looked really cool). He asked me about the books I was reading, and we compared our favorite legendary Pokemon. Mine was Articuno or Celebi, but he was dead set on Ho-oh.

"It makes people's wishes come true, that's really nice of it!" he declared. "I'd love to meet it someday." I found out his name was Christopher, and after a while he left to go bother his parents instead. He was nice enough, I suppose. Shortly after that, I went up to bed as it was already approaching eleven. It was the most exciting day I had in a while, and I was exhausted. Thankfully, I fell asleep as soon as I struggled into some pajamas and hit the mattress.

This time, I was lucky enough to be left alone for the majority of the party. Unfortunately, as I learned growing up, I would not always be that lucky, and through that I learned how to easily fake a smile and pretend to be interested when I really wasn't. Acting was an important skill to have in this life, and thankfully, I'm quite the actress.

* * *

 **AN: Hello again! This chapter was a nice, sticking with a lighter atmosphere and including a bit more banter than usual. Miya came back too, which is always good (I really like writing her because she's so happy all the time). I felt really awkward giving Giovanna a last name, but I figured it had to be done as it would be a really strange topic to avoid for the whole story. I settled on "Kaneshiro," which according to where I found it, means "gold castle" in Japanese. I think it fits at least a little bit. Anyways, have a great week!**


	5. Chapter 5

From then on, mother, Miya, Edward, and Thomas were recurring figures in my life. I also had to go to fancy parties two or three times each summer, and although I was generally kept at the mansion near Viridian City (which was actually the quaint city I saw from the helicopter upon takeoff), occasionally mother would have me stay in the larger mansion where the summer parties were held. It was very fun to explore - myriads of secret hideaways and passages were just waiting to be discovered (until I found the blueprints, that is - unfortunately it ruined the joy of finding something "new"). I also found out what year I was born, which was quite a shock to say the least - it was 1971. That… had some implications that would take a while to sink in (I was now only a year or two younger than my original parents, which was very, very weird - oh, and I'd have to wait over forty years to see the conclusion to _Infinity War_ and _My Hero Academia_ ).

Unfortunately (or fortunately, in the case of the parties and existential crises), that wasn't all my life consisted of. School - or rather, tutoring - started. It was quite different material than the first time around, actually, focusing more on how to run Team Rocket and Kaneshiro Inc. (which I learned was the company mother had - she ended up merging it with what she got from her husband too, so now it was Kanto's top bank _and_ second best technology firm, right after Silph). Additionally, mother pushed me rather hard in my education after realizing that I was good at more than just reading. This was nice in a way, as I wasn't bored and didn't have to try to hide my progress; however, when I did have trouble, it wasn't pretty - I would beat myself up over it, and mother would unhappy as well, cutting down on my evening free time. I was always wary of her too, scared that she would realize something was wrong with me and that I wasn't a regular child. After a while (I was nearly four, I believe), I brought my concerns up with Miya during one of her random visits.

"Auntie Miya, why doesn't mother like me? Did I do something wrong?" I asked, voice quivering. This was purposeful on my part - I played the part of a small child well, simply letting a bit of my real emotions leak through. The best performances are based on reality, after all. And besides, I was concerned what mother thought of me - I… I needed to know how to act until I was an adult again. If she really didn't like me for whatever reason, I'd have to learn to avoid her. If it was just that she was a distant and cold person, well… I could still avoid her to limit the cruel comments, but it wouldn't be as dire of a situation.

Oh, and by the way, whoever said "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me" was just plain lying. I always try not to let it get to me but it does, especially when it's from those I see often or who are close to me. At least it's just one person this time, but… it still hurts. It always does. Either way, mother wasn't shaping up to be too great a parent at the moment.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong, Vanna. Kaneshiro is just a difficult person to understand. She comes off as cold to people, but I don't believe she means any genuine harm by it - at least most of the time. She… she just doesn't come to see you very often because your hair color and complexion reminds her of her deceased husband. It's not your fault at all," Miya justified. "It's not right, but… it's just how she is. Besides kiddo, what brought this on anyways? You normally don't mind all that much - oh! I didn't mean to dismiss your concerns or anything, please don't cry Vanna, it'll be alright. Auntie Miya is here!" Miya stood up, jumping off the couch she was laying on as she watched me do my homework, frantically looking for something.

"Don't worry, I'll get you a fluffy blanket - you love those, right?" she rambled. I laughed, amused that she cared so much.

"No, no - I won't cry, it's fine," I said, putting my pencil down over my algebra work. "It's… it's not just that." Miya stilled, listening intently. "She… she called me a freak a while ago - I'd say that was pretty intentional."

"Was that around your second birthday?" Miya asked hesitantly. I nodded. "Well, that's a relief - it was probably because of her cousin. I… wouldn't give it much thought. I can't tell you too much, as it isn't my story to tell, but when she was younger, your mom had a younger cousin that her family hailed as a genius. They ignored her as a result, and she wasn't really happy with that, so she disliked him a lot for it. Back before your second birthday, he gave her a phone call for the first time in years, and it brought up some bad memories."

"Ah, so it isn't personal?"

"No, no," the purple-haired woman said, shaking her head. "She just misplaced her anger onto you - it's _really_ not your fault. Kaneshiro is just… well, she's Kaneshiro. She so stubborn in her actions that she never apologizes, even if rationally she knows that something she did was wrong - she just runs with it, you know?" I hummed in comprehension.

"I get it now - I do that sometimes too. I'll try not to let it bother me," I said softly.

"So cute!" Miya squealed, pulling me into a hug. "We should go down to the kitchens and grab a small snack to cheer you up, how about that?"

"I… I think I'd like that."

* * *

After that, mother did begin to visit me more (probably because Miya guilt tripped her); however, this wouldn't be the last time mother took her aggression out on me due to bad things happening in her own life, and each time I would try, with varying degrees of success, to pry an answer out of Miya. It was… difficult, but manageable. What made it worse though was that sometimes is _was_ me, and most of the time I could never be sure until I talked to Miya about it later. And sometimes, even when I _did_ know it was something I did or said, what set her off could be just a passing comment or something equally trivial.

One such time, I was happily reading a book about the material structures of various compounds used in the production of appliances, basic computers (they had just begun to spring up at larger companies and research institutions), phones (the corded kind), and other technology. It was similar to the research I had done in my other lifetime, so I was curious to see what they used and how they made it over here. Miya was with me too.

"Honestly Vanna, I don't understand how you make heads or tails of books like that!" she exclaimed. "They're so, so complicated - I stopped chemistry as soon as those weird electro-things were introduced."

"Electrons," I corrected, turning the page. "And it's not that hard if you put some time into it."

"Yeah, for you," she whined. "You're like, super smart, kiddo." Suddenly, the door clicked open and both Miya and I looked over. Mother was standing there, as imposing as ever in her blood red suit, her piercing black eyes seeming to gaze into my very core.

"Good evening - Miya, Giovanna," she greeted. Miya grinned while I sheepishly put down my book.

"Hey Boss Lady!" Miya replied, enthusiastic. "Look what the kiddo is reading, super cool, huh? Aren't I a great influence?" Mother scoffed.

"I doubt it's your influence that's helping her with… whatever it is," she said. "Is that chemistry?" I nodded.

"Materials science, technically, but close," I responded. "I find it really neat - maybe I could be a scientist or something when I'm older." Mother stilled.

"No, you're not allowed to," she stated. "Put that book away at once, and get your head out of the clouds. Your place is to take the reigns of Team Rocket and Kaneshiro Inc. - nothing more, nothing less." I froze, not expecting that response. _Weren't scientists a valuable part of both Team Rocket and her company? Why couldn't I do that too?_ I thought. When I didn't make a move to do as she asked, she stormed over and snatched the book away from me.

"Remember, you are nothing more than a puppet to carry on my legacy. You should be glad that just so happens to include a fortune for you - that should be enough that you comply without complaint," mother declared. "After all, your future is secured on a golden platter - I would've killed for that when I was younger." She then left the room, book in tow. Miya and I just looked at each other, and I was scared - that was a more realistic goal of mine, so how would she react if I voiced my desire to become a Pokemon trainer when I already knew she wouldn't approve of it? Miya laughed nervously.

"So… why don't we find you a new book?"

* * *

Later that month, mother had me start self-defense and combat training. On the bright side, it was with Edward and Thomas, which was how they integrated themselves into my life once again. Even if Edward was a bit monotone and Thomas could be rather… _enthusiastic_ about teaching me how to kill, it was nice to have more people I could rely on around me. They were the first people, other than my tutors - though I suppose they _were_ tutors of a sort - to interact with me on a daily basis, to simply _be there_ when I needed someone to talk to. Miya tried, but with her work she could never really be around consistently though. Hell, the only reason Edward and Thomas stuck around permanently was that Edward messed up his leg on a mission gone bad and Thomas refused to separate from his long time partner. Unfortunately, this training was also a very obvious effort on the part of mother's part to remind me of my place - normal children aren't aren't trained to kill or steal after all, even if it was primarily for "self-defense."

Additionally, mother stepped up my regiment once again shortly after my sixth birthday - instead of being tutored from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM with a lunch break and then having the rest of the day and weekends to myself, tutoring time was extended two hours and I no longer had Saturdays off, leaving only Sundays as a rest day - or now, more accurately, a "get caught up on homework or else" day. Thankfully, Miya was able to get me a day off, somehow convincing my mother to allow for a day trip to Viridian City. I still don't know how she did it, but at the time I was too grateful to look into it much (besides, Miya was always her favorite person anyways).

"Viridian City is always a fun place to visit - it's has that close-knit small city feel, and there's still tons of stuff to do. We could go to a restaurant, watch some Pokemon battles at the local tournament, go see the gym, or go shopping… Giovanna, what do you want to do?" Miya asked, spinning around to face me. I shrugged.

"Not sure, what tournament is going on? And how long do we have?"

"Oh, Viridian City has a small battle tournament each year - nothing near the scope of the Indigo League, but it is a hotspot for local kids who receive their Pokemon a little early to practice before they go on their journeys. We have four hours or so too, so we have plenty of time," she replied. I hummed in thought.

"Maybe we could watch a few battles at the tournament first and go out to lunch afterwards," I suggested.

"Sounds good to me, Vanna," Miya responded, nodding. "It'll be loads of fun - c'mon, let's head out to the car. Oh, and one of my scientist friends will be tagging along too - he'll be driving for us, since the only driving I can do is getaway driving."

It turned out that we didn't actually have to walk out to the garages where the cars were stored, as a man in a baggy black T-shirt and blue jeans with slicked back light green hair pulled up around the front driveway in a pale blue convertible that was straight out of the 1960s. He then honked the horn and shouted over to us.

"Miyamoto, you and Giovanna ready yet?" he asked. Miya ran over to him, her pale pink sundress drifting in the wind. She pulled down the her wide-brimmed hat as it threatened to blow away, and gestured over to me, smiling. I followed behind her, feeling a bit overdressed in my own clothes (a dark purple and lilac silk dress with gray tights and black flats - it was in a similar vein to what I usually wore in this world, and some days I really missed when I could wear jeans and T-shirts myself).

"Yep!" she responded enthusiastically. "Vanna, this is Haru. Ru, this is Giovanna." I smiled at him as he threw his white lab coat, which was seated in the front seat next to him, into the back of the vehicle.

"It's nice to meet you," I said. He grinned, striking up a cigarette on the car's cigarette lighter (and yes, they still had those included in vehicle's here - and ashtrays too, though it was probably just because of the time period, not a reflection of the world itself).

"Hm, so you're the infamous Mini-Boss that Miya won't shut up about," he commented. "At least you're polite - hop on in." Miya rolled her eyes and called shotgun. Haru flicked the embers off the edge of the cigarette and took in a deep breath of the smoke before letting it back out in a slow exhale. I winced as I entered the convertible. I didn't particularly like the smell of it, even the small amount of smoke I inhaled by simply being near one felt stiff in my lungs.

"I… ah - I don't know if you know this, but cigarettes can cause cancer. You might not want to smoke them," I said nervously. He laughed, hazel eyes twinkling.

"Yeah, yeah - it's a relatively new study, but I know that," he said. "I just don't really care - I can put it away if you want though." I nodded.

"I would appreciate that, thank you Mr. Haru," I replied. He shook his head.

"No need to be so formal. You're the Boss' daughter and a friend of Miya's - just call me Haru," he said. Miya elbowed him.

"Darn right she's my friend! Vanna is great, I'll have you know," Miya insisted. Haru just laughed again, stepping off the breaks, and the car lurched forwards.

"Alright, alright - let's head out already."

* * *

The car ride to Viridian was rather pleasant - the weather was nice, and sun filtered down onto us through the forest canopy and a cool breeze blew past us. Miya and Haru talked quite a bit, and I simply added in my two cents once in a while from the back seat. Haru was nice, and didn't mind me interrupting (unlike mother who would constantly insist that I stay quiet unless spoken too when talking with my "superiors"). I found out along the way that Haru worked with the Pokemon that Team Rocket captured, analyzing their abilities, moves, and strengths in battle. The stronger a Pokemon was, the higher Team Rocket could sell it for, so this was very important information to look at. It was also important that these readings were accurate, or else enemies would be made that could harm the team in the long term. I asked him several questions about battle strategies, Pokemon movesets, training regiments, and how science in general was conducted at Team Rocket, and he answered all of them thoroughly. It was nice to talk about something that genuinely interested me after all this time, and Miya was glad I was having fun too. However, when Miya mentioned that we were going to the tournament first, Haru stilled.

"Are you sure about that, Miya?" he asked, hesitant. "Madame Boss doesn't think of Pokemon as much more than tools, so would it really be alright to show her kid the happy-go-lucky side of battling?" Miya waved him off.

"It's what Vanna wants to do - let a girl have some fun, Ru. It'll be fine - I'll take the blame if she ever finds out. Besides, every kid should see a Pokemon battle at least once, and everyone should have the opportunity to go on an adventure if they wish to."

"Alright," he relied, sighing. "You have a point. As long as I get to pick where we go out to lunch, it's fine by me." I grinned.

"You're the best, Haru," I said. Miya groaned.

"You always pick the same pizza place, darn it - be more original," she said, sinking down into the plush leather seats dramatically. I perked up - I hadn't had any pizza in this life before, the only time I saw it was at my second birthday party and I chose to eat pasta that day instead.

"Yeah, 'cuz it's the best place in town," Haru replied.

"I'd like to try some pizza," I spoke up. "If that's okay with you, Auntie Miya." Miya sighed.

"If that's what you want, that's what you'll get, Vanna. Onward, Ru - to the tournament we go!"

* * *

Miya grabbed my hand and bolted out of the vehicle as soon as it slowed to a stop, pulling me behind her. Haru yelled something before parking the car, locking the doors, flipping up the roof, and running after us (and yes, it did take him a while to catch up). Eventually, we stopped on a hilltop overlooking a grass field, where eight children were standing in a row with pokeballs attached to their belts. Miya elbowed me.

"This is it, the start of the tournament!" she whispered, excited. I nodded.

"Okay, do you think we can get closer?" I asked.

"Of course!" Miya exclaimed. And with that, the three of us edged our way towards the front of the crowd. When we got there, I was too short to see anything, but thankfully Haru let me sit atop his shoulders and that problem was quickly remedied.

The first battle was quick, short, and intense - a girl's Rattata versus her brother's Mankey. Each strike was carefully commanded and calculated by the girl, and even though her brother had the obvious type advantage, she still won in a display of pure skill and strategy. And with each move the Mankey made, the audience would still with baited breath, both worried and eager to see how the girl would counter its strikes this time. It was like a deliberate, dangerous dance, similar to how Thomas and Edward taught me to fight, but it was much more amazing to see another creature do it and to still be able to feel the weight, purpose, and emotions behind each attack from the sidelines. When the Mankey finally fell, the whole crowd burst into cheers. It was then, among the joyous cries of nearly a hundred people, that I quietly voiced my true thoughts for the first time in… well, a very long time.

"I… I think I want to be a Pokemon trainer," I said, my voice light and hopeful. "I could travel the region, battle and learn from others, experience this world for what it's worth and see beyond the life I'm destined for - even if it's for a short time, I just want to be _free_. That fight was beautiful too - _entrancing_ , even - and I want to fight like that with Pokemon of my own someday." Miya chuckled.

"I'm sure you'd be a great trainer, Vanna - hey, I'd say you're smart enough to win the Indigo League, even," she stated confidently. My eyes widened.

"Yes, but Madame Boss would never allow it," Haru said, bringing some reality back into the situation. "She thinks Pokemon journeys are a big waste of time - she'd never permit her own child to go on one, at least not willingly."

My eyes dimmed, that hope of a carefree adventure receding - "carefree" bring the keyword here. No, my drive and desire for battle wouldn't fade so easily. Even if I had to directly disobey mother to do it, I wanted - no, _needed_ \- to go on a journey of my own, to discover who a really was, and there was no way in hell I'd let her tell me what to do for this right of passage that I so eagerly yearned for. I couldn't just sit around and pass up an opportunity like this - I'd regret it for the rest of my life!

And it was in that moment I sealed my destiny - when I resolved that I _would_ go on a Pokemon journey, I _wouldn't_ take no for an answer, and _I would go no matter what_ \- without regard to what mother may do or say, and no matter what the future may hold.

* * *

 **AN: This chapter turned out way longer than I thought it would, but I needed a good place to stop, so here we are. Actually, I ended up stopping sooner than I planned on the plot train too. This was *supposed* to be a short collection of some important moments from Giovanna's childhood, but at this pace it'll have to bleed over into the next chapter as well, which isn't that much of a big deal in the long run. After that, well… you can probably guess what's next (especially with how this chapter ended, lol). Also, I'm not going to be uploading a new chapter these next two weekends - I'll be busy with some big tests coming up, and I need to focus on that. That's also why I uploaded this one early, I finished writing it ahead of time and wanted to get something out so I could focus on school for a bit (it's just a nice bonus that this one came out longer than usual). _Rocket Smoke and Shattered Mirrors_ will continue as normal on October 13th though, so don't worry! Thank you all for reading, and have a great day! **


	6. Chapter 6

Of course, I said that I wanted to go on an adventure of my own, but I wasn't quite old enough yet. As a result, I still had to deal with the arduous weeks, practically counting down the days until my freedom. Unfortunately, I had yet to confront mother about the issue, and I didn't really want to do so anytime soon. Instead, while gathering my courage, I simply dealt with the problems that cropped up in my everyday life - like being taught how to shoot, for example.

It was a cool September morning, dew coating the grass and sky still overcast from the storm the night before. I could see my breath as I exhaled, forcing myself through the chosen warm up exercises of the day. Haru, who sometimes tagged along to keep me company during training, was reading a book underneath a tall oak tree, idly flipping the pages as he smoked. I, on the other hand, wasn't quite as lucky - Thomas and Edward never let me slack off during warm up (a big contrast from the exercises I did in my old life - I was never the main focus so I could cut corners there).

They had me do various stretches, run two miles on the track, and perform a quick spar with Thomas, only raising an eyebrow at the fact that I looked like I would fall over at any second. I wasn't able to get a good hit on him - I never was - but this time I was at least able to predict and avoid the majority of his strikes, even if I knew I had probably caught a cold or something from one of the grunts. Edward hummed in approval before calling off the fight, and I was already panting from exhaustion, drawing in as much air as I could into my lungs in hopes of recovering quickly enough in time for the next exercise. I extremely disliked physical activity in both lives, the burning lungs and muscles never quite felt right to me. I did know it was a necessary evil, however, and no matter how hard Edward or Thomas pushed me, they knew my limits and knew how long was enough to make substantial progress without breaking me. It reminded me of my days on the swim team the first time around, where the coaches kept pushing us harder and harder, to do better, to _be_ better. The principle here was similar, except it could literally become a matter of life or death as I grew older.

"Hmm, that's enough of that for now," Edward began. "Today, you'll be doing something different than usual. I know you're a pretty attentive child, but please pay a little extra attention for this lesson, as things could go… poorly if you don't." _Well, that's not ominous at all,_ I thought. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I nodded. Thomas grinned.

"Great! We'll be showing you how to shoot and all, so follow us to the shooting range!" he said. Haru perked up, flicking at his cigarette and closing his book before standing up and walking over to us.

"You sure about that? She is still pretty young."

"Ah, it'll be fine!" Thomas exclaimed, waving him off. "She's responsible enough not to play around with it, and she's got enough muscle mass to hold the damn thing, so why not?" Haru shrugged, putting out his cigarette and tossing the remains onto the track. Despite his words, I still felt a sinking feeling snake its it's way into my gut. I… I despised guns, to be honest.

"Whatever you say, I'm just watching anyways," Haru said, shrugging. Thomas ran his right hand through his red hair.

"Great! We'll start with the basics," he began, explaining as the four of us walked over to the shooting range. "Treat all guns as loaded - don't point them at anyone unless you're prepared to kill them. Accidents happen, and even if you've taken out the ammo, be careful - there could be a round or two loaded in the chamber. We'll be starting with pistols, so be careful how you hold it. You don't want your thumb getting broken by accident. Oh, and don't fight the recoil, let the gun kick back gently with your arms. Otherwise, it'll mess up you're trajectory."

I nodded along with his explanation as that feeling of dread worsened, even though I still held my head high, trying not to display any of my inner anxieties. I'd done it before, and it came naturally to me (I was rather good at it before my eyes went bad), but… I hated shooting. It's just… the pressure of holding it - the cool metal against my skin, knowing that if I mess up I could hurt someone, injuring them for the rest of their life, or even _kill_ them - it freaked me out. As someone who had valued the lives of others above my own for so long, the thought of even holding a tool capable of that made me sick to my stomach, and I always tried to avoid going to the range when I could. I didn't have anything against people who liked shooting or hunting as a hobby or anything though, it just wasn't for me. Personally, I just hated the thought that the skill was meant to be used to hurt others (even if most claimed it self-defense). This time though, I had no escape - what Thomas and Edward said was law in my training sessions, and any input of mine even slightly disagreeing with their statements was held against me later on in the form of extra laps and exercises. Even worse, I knew that they were teaching me this with the mindset that I'd someday have to use this to kill, unlike before where it was simply a peculiar pastime.

In the end though, I did what I always did - I swallowed me pride and did what they asked, hoping that it'd be over quicker that way. In that moment, my thoughts, beliefs, and opinions didn't matter - they _never_ did. And as I pulled the trigger on that distant bulls-eye, all I could do to combat that inner feeling of disgust with myself was to simply lock it up deep inside and throw away the key.

* * *

As Halloween approached, I at long last had worked up the courage to ask mother if I could go on a Pokemon journey of my own. I… I knew she would more than likely say no, but as I rehearsed my lines in my head, I only hoped that, as it was a temporary excursion, her reaction would be less… explosive than when I offhandedly commented that I wanted to be a scientist. Steeling myself, I rapped my knuckles against her towering office door, letting my posture fall into a well-practiced one that exuded faux confidence. As she was simply taking her lunch break at the time (I knew her schedule like the back of my hand by then), she called me in, placing her warm food to the side. The only hint that she was surprised that it was me, as I rarely visited on my own without prior appointment, was the small shift in the way her eyes stopped on my face for a little longer than usual.

"Giovanna, what brings you here?" she asked, a tad curious, as I made my way towards her desk. I took a deep breath, composing myself just a little bit more, before answering.

"Mother, I would like to go on a Pokemon journey when I turn ten. I know we haven't really discussed it before, but I believe it would be a good opportunity to grow and see the region for myself…" I trailed off as she held her hand up to silence me, cold fury in her eyes.

"A Pokemon journey is a waste of time, especially for someone of your status. It's time that could be better spent studying, learning more about Team Rocket and what it takes to be a business leader," she began, standing up and walking towards the office's window. "I made it clear to you before - your role is to replace me, to keep my name and legacy alive after my passing, and I _will not_ allow you to go frolicking off on some grand adventure. You _cannot_ and _will not_ buy into that nonsense of friendship triumphing all odds, of being _partners_ with your Pokemon, with _anyone_ \- _you're better than that because you're my child_."

I took in a sharp breath, unsurprised of her answer but not exactly expecting a thought out response. The anger and forceful purpose in her voice and eyes were clear, she would do everything in her power to prevent me from going, but… it still hurt. Hesitantly, I voiced as much.

"I understand mother, but I still wish to go. It's… it's every kid's dream," I said softly, my fists shaking. She glanced at me from the corner of her eyes.

"I do realize that, yes. And I went on an adventure once upon a time too, it's just a waste of time and I want better for you. Just… we'll see how you feel about that on your tenth birthday," she said with a small sigh. "Your father battled and was rather good at it. Maybe, just maybe, I'll have one of the grunts teach you if you're still interested by then." I paused, quickly thanking her and making my way out.

That… was far more civil than what I'd grown to expect from her. But it was still a no to traveling and participating in the gym circuit with only a maybe to being able to battle - and a maybe with her could quickly be forgotten about entirely and turn into a definite no. I still yearned to go on my own adventure, but I realized that I'd have to make all the preparations for it on my own and couldn't rely on her for money, support, or a starter.

No, I needed to do that on my own - and regardless of how rash it was, of how foolish I was being (and oh boy, did I know it), I resolved to run away and pursue this dream of mine anyways once I hit ten.

...After all, why couldn't I have just this one little thing?

* * *

From then on, I began planning my escape, taking note of the weaknesses in the mansion's defenses. Surprisingly, since the security was geared more towards keeping people from coming inside, it turned out to be much easier to find a way out than I thought it would. The back door of the kitchen for example, was deadbolted on the inside, and since alarms were only really on the front doors at that point (as they were still considered unreliable and being tested for future implementation), good old security guards were employed to pay attention to strange sounds or shadows at night to keep out intruders. As someone who lived in the manor, it was relatively easy to "go grab a midnight snack" from the kitchens and observe the guard rotations and where they would be located at any given time.

I also began swiping objects here and there that would be useful to bring with me on said adventure. Thomas and Edward started teaching me how to steal once I turned seven as well - how to keep my steps near silent, how to look like I belonged wherever I went, how to blend in to a crowd, how to do a sleight of hands to pickpocket something of another person - which only further helped me in this respect. I tried not to take anything too valuable off of anyone, as I both didn't want to get caught or hurt anyone emotionally or financially, so I stuck to small, useful objects that would be easily replaceable, like a lighter from Haru (though I think he knew I took it and just let me get away with it - it was one of my first swipes and wasn't done all that well), a small switchblade from a grunt, and some non-perishable food from the kitchen. I also grabbed a waterproof backpack, tent, sleeping bag, and pillow from the storage shed out back. They were all generic, nothing denoting Team Rocket, so I thought they'd be useful to bring along. I simply kept everything under my bed - not the most original hiding spot, I know, but it worked well enough.

The only other things I could think of that I'd really need to go out of my way to collect were money and pokeballs. I'd held back on money since I knew I'd feel bad about taking it, and for whatever reason I was having a really hard time finding an empty pokeball laying about.

Thankfully, one of these problems was solved when I asked Miya for some nice jewelry for my birthday. She happily obliged (though probably convincing mother to pay for it all) and got me diamond earrings and a silver and sapphire necklace. I knew it'd probably hurt me a bit to sell them off later, since they were gifts, but I knew they could help me financially start my journey, and this was at least something I could reasonably ask for unlike the other stuff.

Additionally, I asked for more casual clothes the next year, as mother mostly got me dresses to wear. I had a few T-shirts and shorts for exercising, sure, but they weren't really the best for traveling in. Mother resisted at first, insisting that I look proper at all times, but Miya eventually nagged her into submission. I then got my first pair of jeans in that life, and I was ever so grateful that I could finally wear pants again.

Eventually, my tenth birthday rolled around. Haru said that Miya was off doing more recon on Team Mythic, as Team Rocket was still intent on fighting them after what happened with mother's husband, though confrontations were few and far between. Team Mythic kept a low profile, and only popped up once in a while to assassinate some officials or sell some new gadget or concoction "guaranteed to improve Pokemon performance." More often than not, those resulted in the death of the Pokemon using it and occasionally the trainers as well. It… wasn't pretty (from the reports I saw on mother's desk, at least).

Some years I got presents for my birthday, others I got nothing at all. It wasn't anything mother was too keen on celebrating, and I didn't push it either. I didn't mind too much, as last time around birthday celebrations had died off to simply a few gifts and eating a small cake over lunch with my family by time I entered high school. It wasn't anything to get worked up about, really.

What did bother me though was my mother's comment to that spiky-haired executive I overheard on my way to lunch.

"I'm so glad Giovanna has given up on that ridiculous, frivolous wish of becoming a Pokemon trainer. She hasn't said anything about it in years, and it's so stupid that she even wanted to do that in the first place. Maybe that silly child will actually be useful for something now," she said offhandedly.

In that moment, I wanted nothing more than to prove her wrong. I planned on leaving tonight anyways, so consequences be damned. If she still remembered that conversation, then she'd know where I went when I left. I didn't even feel that bad about leaving her in the dark after that comment, so I suppose I should be happy I overheard it since it squashed the last fragments of doubt in my mind.

Once my classes finished, I spent the day with Haru. It was nice, even if he didn't remember that it was my birthday. He didn't say anything, and I didn't bring it up, so we simply spent the day watching a movie or two before reading some books about Pokemon in his office.

That night, I packed up all the stuff I'd gathered into the backpack, and put on some casual clothes that I'd be wearing for the majority of my journey. Tying up my hair in a loose bun (Emily taught me how to do that, as I'd never learned in my past life), I grinned as I looked over myself one last time in the mirror. I was wearing a dark red T-shirt, ripped jeans (they hadn't quite taken off yet as a fashion statement, it was simply that I wore them so often that though the knees tore I still kept them), black leather combat boots and a black leather jacket. It looked a bit fringe, but I liked it, and that was all that mattered. Putting on a pair of aviator sunglasses atop my head (as realistically it was too dark to wear them), I smiled wildly to myself before sneaking out of my room and downstairs to the kitchen, careful to keep my steps quiet.

I was both buzzing with excitement and paranoid the whole time - it would be the start of my own journey once I escaped, just like Ash, Red, and the video game protagonists, but end of the line if I was caught. For some reason, it felt like I was being watched the whole time, but since I couldn't see anyone and no one tried to stop me, I kept moving. After what seemed like an eternity, I reached the back door in the kitchen and undid the deadbolt. Then, a voice quietly called out to me.

"Vanna, is that you?" Hesitantly, I turned around to see Miya, dressed in sweatpants and a T-shirt with a black eye and her right arm in a swing.

"Yeah, it is," I replied softly, fidgeting nervously with my hands. _Damn, I'm caught - how will I get out now?_ I thought. I… I didn't want to hurt Miya by leaving while she was here, which is why, although disappointed, I was secretly glad that she wouldn't show up for my birthday this year. Though now, she popped up out of nowhere to surprise me at the worst possible time. She looked over my outfit before sighing.

"You're running off to go on a Pokemon journey, aren't you?" she asked, and I nodded. With her good arm, she began fidgeting with her purple hair. "I… I get it. Kaneshiro can be pretty overbearing, enforcing what she thinks is right upon everyone else, even if they want something completely different out of life. It can be trying at times. Hell, I'm in a relationship right now, and I love him dearly, but I'm too scared to tell her about him because I don't think she'll approve." She chuckled darkly.

"Are you okay?" I asked, concerned. "You're arm and eye-" She cut me off.

"Oh, this is from Team Mythic - they put up a pretty good fight, I'll say. Vanna… I won't stop you, and I'll try to keep your mother off your tail for a little while. Just… just promise me you'll do your best and give the league hell for me, alright?" Miya said. I nodded, giving her a small smile.

"Of course, if I'm willing to go this far I won't give anything but my best out there." She nodded, satisfied, before grabbing something out of her pocket and handing it to me. I stared down in awe - it was five shrunken pokeballs.

"Okay kiddo, go make Auntie Miya proud," she whispered, pulling me into a hug. I hugged her back, stunned at her kindness. She was giving me something mother would never allow yet something that I needed for myself - in that moment she was putting me above mother, and I could never express how truly grateful I was for her letting me have this opportunity.

"Thank you so, so much," I said, letting her go. She smiled at me.

"No problem! And remember to have fun out there, Vanna," Miya said, eyes glistening. After a moment or two, she gave me a pat on the back before exiting the kitchen, giving me one last look before closing the door. Taking in a large gulp of air, I steeled myself before opening my own door, one leading out to the wilderness and to the first steps of my very own adventure.

I… I did have some happy memories in that mansion - hot chocolate after a cold outdoor training session, reading Pokemon or science books by the fireplace with Haru, gentle encouragement from mother after doing well on particularly challenging topics, going sledding with Miya, Edward, and Thomas, playing dress up with Emily, and many more. However, I'm more of a pessimist, so although there were nice moments from time to time, I still thought on the bad when reflecting on the past decade or so of my childhood. And more than anything else, I realized I needed to get out and carve my own place in the world now that I finally worked up the courage to leave. Otherwise… I'd be stuck as mother's puppet forever. And I really, really didn't want to resign myself to that. Looking back at the mansion, at Miya's figure in the window of the small lounge next to the kitchen, smiling softly at me as I departed, I also knew that I'd more than likely end up back there someday. But for now, well... only time would tell if I would end regretting that decision to run or not, and if I'd even be able to escape my fate at all.

And so, on that cool summer night of August 1st, 1981, I left to forge my own destiny.

* * *

 **AN: Hello again! It's been a while, but thanks for reading. This is pretty much a wrap on Giovanna's childhood, but I may add some flashbacks in the future depending on how certain story arcs end up playing out. For now though, it's on to the main plot - it'll be an adventure, that's for sure. Oh, and those tests went *mostly* fine - I did well enough, but whenever I had a bit of downtime between, all I could think of was what to write next and how to continue this story (lol). I also saw _Venom_ and _My Hero Academia: Two Heroes_ (both were pretty good films, did you guys see either of them?). Anyways, thanks again and have a great week!**


	7. Chapter 7

As I trudged through Viridian Forest, I tried to stay quiet to avoid any wild Pokemon that may have been up and about. The feeling of dread in my stomach faded as I got farther and farther away from the manor. I had gotten _out_ , finally - though unfortunately, this was only the beginning. I was still anxious and tense, alert in case I was discovered by either a Team Rocket member. I… I was more worried than excited to be honest. It didn't really feel like the start of some grand adventure - I was just concerned with the moment and its immediate consequences, and I would deal with the rest as it came up.

First thing first - the plan. It was a Saturday night, and since I had Sunday off, at latest I had until Monday morning to get the hell out of Viridian and its surrounding routes and cities, as they would be the first areas mother would check once she found out I wasn't in the manor. The time frame could move either way though, as she could check the manor thoroughly first, or she could realize I was missing tomorrow morning. I doubted it, as she never really bothered talking to me on Sunday to begin with, but one of the grunts, Edward, Thomas, or Haru could find out and alert her if they wanted to talk to me about something.

At one point, I considered sneaking off to Johto for my adventure, as less people would know of me and it would be farther from mother's influence. However, it was another region, and entry had to be preapproved at specific checkpoints, which were strictly regulated. I didn't have a passport on me (I looked for one in the manor, but to no avail), so I'd have to sneak in, and if it was found out that I had entered the region illegally, I would be barred from league participation there and in my home region for up to ten years, which really, _really_ wasn't worth it. Kanto's internal laws were rather lax in comparison. Photo ID was only needed to be shown before the conference itself, and hopefully by then mother would be more lenient once I proved myself ( _hopefully_ , but I wasn't holding my breath), or at the very least I could apply for my own ID through the police department if necessary.

The game plan at this point was to go over to the route between Viridian City and the league gates to pick up a Pokemon - Mankey, Nidoran Male and Female, and Spearow were all found there, and they were all decent Pokemon to start out with. After that, I would book it through Diglett's Tunnel, doing some sparse training along the way, and try to pick up a Diglett if possible. The first gym I'd be going for was the one in Vermillion, as it was still an electric type gym from the books I'd read in the library. Really, putting an electric gym next to where ground types are commonly found is just asking for a vicious defeat, I swear…

Unfortunately for me though, league cycles started at the beginning of April every year in Kanto, and since I was starting in August, I would be four months behind everyone else. Most people with birthdays around mine would just wait until the next league cycle to start, but… I wanted to spite mother, so that was out. I'd have a lot of catching up to do, and the latest I'd heard of a trainer starting and making it to the league competition was three months (and that was in Johto too), so it would be difficult, at the very least. But it did seem doable, so I'd simply have to go above and beyond.

After an hour or so of wandering through the wilderness, I finally made it to Viridian City. It was late, almost midnight, and the cool summer night breeze surrounded me as I made my way out of the cover of the trees. Soft lamplight fell down onto the streets, and the quiet buzz of electricity running through them compounded with the small houses on the streets made me relax a little as I was finally back in civilization. It was a nice, quiet night as I skirted around the city outskirts over to Route 22, only passing two people along the way who both kept to the opposite side of the street before skirting off into the shadows cast by the quaint buildings.

I gulped as I approached the city limits again, a small wooden sign marking the way forward as the path to the Indigo League. I was finally here - I put three of Miya's pokeballs into my jacket's right pocket for easy access, and cautiously crept forward, eyes scanning the grassy plains and brick road ahead for signs of any wild Pokemon.

Suddenly, I saw a flash of purple rush by around twenty feet ahead of me and I chucked a pokeball at it with expert precision. The creature was engulfed in red light, and I was never more thankful to Edward and Thomas for forcing me to learn how to throw and aim properly (though in their case itt was knives instead of pokeballs). I lunged forward to close the gap between me and the creature in case it broke out - I knew it probably was going to as I hadn't weakened it at all, but I still held out some hope.

It did break out though, just as my fingers grazed the pokeball. _Shit,_ I thought as I leaped back, _I was too eager, I need to wait for the click next time._ The Nidoran Male - I wasn't sure if it was male or female up to that point - shook itself off, sending a barrage of poison spines off it's back in my direction. I dived behind a nearby boulder for cover. If it wasn't for training with Edward and Thomas, I probably would've been hit by them - their training really seemed to be useful today, huh?

 _Shit shit shit, I really didn't think this through. Should I run and cut my losses or still try to catch it?_ I pondered, my brain running a mile a minute. I cautiously peered out from behind the rock, and the purple-spined creature tilted its head and chirped at me. I stilled, and it slowly approached me and began nipping at my backpack. I then realized I had food in there from when I packed earlier.

 _I'm such a stupid fucking idiot, I could've just offered one food from the beginning, but no, I had to waste a flipping pokeball and almost get impaled,_ I thought. _The darn thing doesn't even look that hostile - is it a good battler? Probably not, but beggars can't be choosers I suppose. Nidoking_ are _really tough…_

Cautiously, I turned and unzipped my pack, bringing out a small bag of potato chips.

"Hey buddy, sorry about startling you earlier. Want to start again? I'll give you some of these if you want," I began. The Nidoran nodded eagerly, and I popped open the bag and poured some into my hand, holding it out for the Nidoran to eat from. It sniffed the chips for a second before carefully wiggling one into its mouth, careful not to prick me with its spikes. The Nidoran decided it liked the chips and made a happy trilling noise before guzzling more down, still careful not to hurt me. As it ate, I decided it was safe to talk at (or to? I wasn't quite sure - in the anime it seemed that Pokemon could understand human language, but they were still creatures, not humans, and I hadn't really had much experience with Pokemon before considering how mother tried to keep them away).

"I'm looking for a partner you see - I want to challenge the Indigo League this season with a group of capable Pokemon, which is why I'm out here. I don't have a partner yet unfortunately. I'm sorry I went about it the wrong way - I read that Pokemon will defer to trainers if they lose a battle with one of their Pokemon or if they want to join them, is that right?" I asked. The Nidoran nodded. "I… I just want a partner, ya know? Would… would you like to join me on my adventure?" I cringed as the last few words left my mouth. That was hardly a convincing argument - I'd admitted I'd been in the wrong, which mother said never to do as it shows weakness, and then the request came out of nowhere. The Nidoran had an easy out too, no real reason or incentive to join me, yet… it nodded, letting out a quiet purr as it rubbed its head against my hand, purposefully in the same direction as its spines so they wouldn't injured me. I was shocked, wondering why it would want to leave its home with a petulant child who bothered it in the middle of the night only to offer potato chips in reconciliation (it was probably the potato chips - it must have a taste for junk food, right?). Either way, I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth, and I smiled softly at it.

"Thanks Nidoran, you don't know how much this means to me," I said, voice wavering as I pulled out another pokeball. I grinned back at me, trilling and pushing the button on the pokeball, letting itself in with a beam on red light. The ball shook back and forth only once before clicking. I was about to let out a victory shout (what? I was still a kid…) when an amused grunt came from behind me, much louder than Nidoran's noises had been. I stilled, knuckles turning white as I gripped the pokeball, and silently glanced over to the source of the sound. It was a Nidoqueen, standing on the other side of the boulder. It's pale blue body towered over me, and I was scared - no, terrified - that it would attack, as wild Nidoqueen (or any fully evolved Pokemon, really) could be exceedingly dangerous to unaware or unprepared trainers, _and here was one less than two feet from me looking in my direction._ It's eyes seemed to be laughing at me expression and it grinned before walking away. I grabbed my bag off the ground before pocketing Nidoran's pokeball and bolting it back into the city.

...Well, I suppose winging it works in both dimensions. I'm still amazed I made it out of there alive, to be honest, and only later would it occur to me to ask myself in more depth why Nidoqueen didn't attack and why Nidoran was so alright with just leaving without a second thought. Although, I suppose that is a story for another time.

* * *

I only stopped running, slowing to a jog instead, once I could see the pokemart's blue roof of in the distance. Approaching the Viridian trainer's district, I let out a sigh of relief. That was a really, _really_ close call. I pulled Nidoran's pokeball out of my pocket and fiddled with it, smiling. This… this could work now. I'd made it out, I had a Pokemon - everything was looking up compared to a few hours ago, discounting the near death experience. I tried focusing on making a list in my head of what to buy at the pokemart, as I knew I'd simply dwell on it if I didn't try to distract myself. It was a bad habit of mine, dwelling on the negative, which was probably why I was such a pain to deal with in middle school first time around.

I straightened my spine as I made my way to the door. _No need to worry, just look like I belong here and it'll be in and out, real quick._ I stepped in, the doorbell ringing softly as I did, and the middle-aged man at the counter looked over to me.

"Pokemon trainer?" he asked. I held up Nidoran's pokeball and nodded, to afraid to speak yet in case my voice decided to betray me. He squinted through his spectacles before nodding. It was interesting, actually, as in that for whatever reason occupied pokeballs simply felt fuller and more energetic than their empty counterparts. Even if they looked similar, they weren't, and by holding it one was able to feel their Pokemon's energy at their fingertips, humming inside the capsule. According to the grunts, each Pokemon felt uniquely different too, and most trainers were able to easily distinguish between them in order to call out the right partner in the heat of battle. Pokemart clerks actually had special glasses or devices able to read if a pokeball had a Pokemon in it, and if so it could determine if its holder either captured it themself or obtained it in a legal manner (trade or ID transfer, though admittedly Team Rocket was able to easily fake ID transfer once brought back to special machines at a base).

I made my way in and quickly shuffled over to the trainer supplies aisle. Thank goodness (or evilness?) they were labeled similarly to WalMart, or else I'd never be able to figure out where the stuff I needed was. As it was, I already had to stop myself from staring to prevent any more attention on my person than necessary.

I grabbed a belt that could clip pokeballs onto it - a necessity for any trainer, as reaching into me bag for pokeballs would be a pain and I could drop supplies if not careful - along with a map. I then swung by the food and care aisle and grabbed Pokemon food for Nidoran and the potential Diglett. I would've been more careful about that it the food was sorted by species, but it was by type and had expiration dates in the far future, so worst-case scenario Nidoran could eat it once evolved into Nidoking if I didn't catch a Diglett. Finally, I grabbed some potions, antidotes, and paralyze heals from the same aisle (I didn't want any potential catches fainting from Nidoran's Poison Point - and yes, I checked, and abilities exist here - and paralysis could be a bitch). I made then my way to the counter and placed my purchases on top of it. The man simply raised an eyebrow before scanning the items, cutting the tags off, handing them back to me, and reading off the total.

"How will you be paying today, miss?" he asked. Carefully, I pulled out the necklace Miya had gotten me for my birthday years ago from my bag, and his eyes grew wide. He clicked the appraisal button on the side of his glasses (those were a feature the devices had too, which was a way to quickly and easily determine the authenticity of any common item or material that a trainer may try to pawn off), and his eyebrows went even further up his head, if that was even possible.

"That's… that's genuine sapphire and silver. Are you sure you want to pay with this?" he asked, and I nodded. I hated to part with it so early, but… it'd be easier this way. I was never more thankful that pokemarts doubled as pawn shops with standardized rates, as I could be sure that I wouldn't be taken advantage of too badly, even if I didn't really have a good grasp of smaller quantities of money (mother's tutors always had me working on larger scales, and I hadn't really been to too many stores in this life to ascertain what something like this would cost). He shrugged.

"Well, if you're sure… sign here." I did, as it was standard for larger pokemart transactions. Thankfully, my handwriting in this life was rather sloppy with the new writing system, so he wasn't able to really read what my name actually was, but he had what he needed all the same. He gave me the receipt and several thousand in cash back. I stuffed everything except the map and belt back into my bag and nodded to him before exiting the store. Once outside, I put the belt on and clipped Nidoran's pokeball on it first before filling three more of the slots with the remaining pokeballs for easy access. I opened the map, humming to myself in thought.

"So," I muttered, "if Diglett's Cave is this way…"

* * *

 **AN: I'm really sorry I went MIA for a bit there. Some stuff came up, and, well... I'll try not to do it again or at least let you all know first. During this time, I also realized that a once a week upload schedule just isn't doable for me, and with how the story is going so far, chapter length is going to have to increase to accommodate what I want to do with the next chunk of it (minor spoilers I guess, but I want to make chapterly or bi-chapterly mini stories like the episodic tales the anime tells, as it works well for the Pokemon journey format). So, as a result, I'm going to try to update this story every two weeks on Saturday. Admittedly, I may miss mark again once in a while, but _will_ update once a month at absolute minimum. Thanks again for reading, and have a great week! **

**Edit: Oof, I can't count apparently. Just did an extra check on the chapter to make sure grammar was right and whatnot (I'm really paranoid about stuff like that sometimes haha) and I noticed in the second to last paragraph I had four pokeballs instead of three. She started with five, one broke and one caught Nidoran, so there should be three. Sorry 'bout that!**


	8. Chapter 8

Once again, I found myself at the outskirts of Viridian City, though this time I was headed north instead of east. I was a bit nervous to be honest - I'd be skirting around Viridian Forest to get to the cave, which was a bit tricky to navigate. That was the main reason most traveled through the forest instead of around, it was a very tricky and rocky path left over from a landslide several years back, so I would essentially be climbing over unstable earth. However, I didn't want to chance going back through the forest itself, as the more time spent in or near the forest would increase the odds of being caught by a Rocket grunt patrolling near the manor. Thankfully, I knew the landslide path was relatively unguarded as it didn't really come anywhere near the base and therefore wasn't worth the effort. Sure a scout team might be sent there once in a while, but I was much less likely to be discovered there than in the forest itself.

Taking in a deep breath, I called Nidoran out of its (or was it his? I should probably say his from now on) pokeball as I stopped in front of the forest entrance. It was still dark, and logically I knew that it would be better to have an extra pair of eyes out on the terrain. Nidoran shook himself off and looked up at me expectantly.

"Hello again Nidoran," I began, "I want to go through Diglett's Cave tonight and reach Vermillion City by morning. Could you please be an extra pair of eyes for me? I'm pretty sure I know where I'm going from the map, but I'd like it if you could keep an eye out for any people or wild Pokemon that may pop up." Nidoran chirped in affirmation, walking alongside me as I skirted around the forest's edge in search of the landslide path. I found it relatively quickly, and Nidoran's eyes grew wide as I scowled. _Damn, that's steeper than I expected,_ I thought. The incline, twisting and turning, was choppy too, housing steep slopes (almost completely vertical) up to nearly ten feet tall before levelling off into planes of uneven land. Thankfully, it hadn't rained in a while, so at least it wasn't muddy, but looking at it I knew it would be a pain in the ass to climb. Hell, with how the path was twisting and turning alone the way, I couldn't even see the end.

"Hey Nidoran, I'm going to be climbing up this. It… it should lead to a shortcut to Vermillion at its end, so it should be worth it. I totally get if you don't want to wade your way through this, but I'd still like you out just in case," I said, extending out my left arm. Nidoran eyed me in disbelief, and I could practically hear his expression screaming "why the hell would you do this, crazy human?" He seemed to sigh, resigning himself to a peculiar trainer, before climbing up my arm and onto my shoulder, his paws digging into my leather jacket. I winced, that probably wouldn't be the best way to hang on, especially if I were to lose my grip.

"Actually, why don't I unzip the front pocket of my backpack? It'll probably be safer in there," I stated. Nidoran nodded and I unzipped my bag, letting him hop in there and get himself settled. Satisfied, I nodded, put my bag back on, and set out to climb this… monstrosity. Oh boy, this would be _so much fun._

* * *

It was not, in fact, _fun._ Not fun at all, really.

I finally made it, true, but not without far too much effort exerted for what it was worth. My clothes were smeared with dirt, and I was coated in dust. Nidoran simply chuckled each time I lost my grip or slipped into a dirt pile (which happened far too often for comfort). By the end though, I think he grudgingly respected my determination. Hell, it worked, so… mission accomplished? On the down side, not only did the climb waste effort, it wasted _time,_ and though I had forgotten a watch ( _stupid, idiot_ ), I could already see the beginning of a sunrise working its way up through the treeline.

I could see the cave entrance in a large hill up ahead though, so I sighed in relief and let Nidoran out of my bag and down on the ground again. Actually, the landslide seemed to come from that same hill, though thankfully it didn't go over its entrance. Only one grassy plain left, and I would be free of mother and her influence for a while. I… I could finally just live and be myself. My face morphed into a wide grin as I turned to Nidoran.

"C'mon, what are you waiting for? Let's go - race you to the cave!" I declared, bolting off towards it. Nidoran chirped, startled a little by my enthusiasm, before running after me. Laughing, I turned around briefly to check my progress (Nidoran was still twenty or so feet behind me). Unfortunately, I abruptly ran into something, and was sent rolling to the ground. My head was ringing and I rubbed the shoulder that hit whatever it was, cursing under my breath. I was really lucky I didn't bite my tongue and only ended up with a few bumps and bruises - I _was_ moving rather fast.

"Hey, are you alright?" a soft voice asked. Nidoran hopped over to my side and rubbed his face against my arm in concern, and I looked over to see a girl in a knee-length navy skirt with a white blouse and a blue backpack. Her dark orange-red hair was done in two braids with her bangs framing her face, and she looked vaguely familiar for some reason.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, trying to keep annoyance from leaking into my voice. This was my fault for not looking where I was running, but I didn't see her in the field earlier either - she must have come from the treeline.

"My name is Delia, I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going, so I'm sorry about that. I'm rather lost actually," she said, letting out a light, airy laugh. It clicked for me then - Delia was the name of Ash's mom, which is why she looked so familiar. This also meant she was a canon character, and because of that I didn't particularly want to spend more time than necessary with her.

"Ah, I wasn't looking at where I was running either, so I suppose we're both at fault. Are you hurt?" I asked carefully. She shook her head.

"No, no - I'm… fine," she stated. "Are you a trainer too? And if so, do you know where we are and the way to Pallet Town?" I paused briefly, contemplating as I shook myself off and stood up. Why was she headed to Pallet in the middle of the league season? Visiting family, maybe? It wasn't really any of my business, but I was admittedly curious.

"Yes, I'm a trainer - just started yesterday actually," I said, internally nervous but shaking it off with a small laugh. Unfortunately, I tended to, and still do, talk too much when nervous. "That's why I'm so dirty, I climbed through the landslide path and am currently on my way to Vermillion. This is Route 2 right now, the northern end by Pewter. Shortest way to Pallet would be to cut through the Viridian Forest and to just keep heading south. Though I have to ask, why head to Pallet now? There isn't really anything there of interest for the Indigo League."

"Well, I'm from there, and I… I-" she stopped, uncertain, and took a deep breath before continuing. "I don't think I'm really cut out to be a trainer. I tried sticking together with my friends from Pallet, but… I lost pace on the way to Vermillion from Saffron and they didn't come back for me. They had the map too, so I didn't really know where to go - I've been wandering alone for a few days, and my Pokemon seem rather sad too, so…" she trailed off, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. I nodded along with her story. I… I wasn't sure how well Delia did on her own Pokemon journey, but the fact that the other trainers from Pallet just ditched her like that irked me. They didn't seem like real friends at all, and it hit a little close to home for me considering what happened in elementary school during my past life.

"Ah, if you're sure then," I said, shrugging. "You could still catch up though, I'm not the strongest trainer around by far, but I do have a map. I could guide you back to Vermillion if you want since I'm headed that way anyways." As soon as the words fell from my mouth, I regretted it. It would help her, sure, but… it also meant spending more time with her. I did empathize with her though, so I could just _leave_ her there, looking so raw, defeated, and rejected. She paused and bit her lip, contemplating.

"I don't really want to burden you, I'm sure you have better things to do than look after me," she said. "My friends didn't even do that much, so I'm not really worth it…" The last sentence was far more quiet than the first, so I didn't really think she wanted me to hear that. Either way, I did and my heart clenched - I could definitely relate. Against my better judgement, I decided I really wanted to help her, even if she was someone to be wary of.

"It's no trouble for me at all, really," I replied, picking up Nidoran and petting his back carefully. "You can always ask your Pokemon how they feel about it too. Either way, I won't judge."

"Good idea, come on out everyone!" she declared, throwing three pokeballs up into the air. From them a Bulbasaur, Pidgey, and Clefairy fell out onto the field. The Pidgey shook itself off before turning expectantly to its trainer as the other two already had done. "Hey guys, this nice person here offered to guide us to Vermillion City. From here, we could either just go back to my home or try to meet up with the others and keep training. I… I'm not quite sure, so what do you guys think?" The Pidgey flew up and nestled itself in Delia's hair while Bulbasaur motioned towards Diglett's Cave. Clefairy merely pulled on Delia's skirt before smiling up at her. "Oh, so Pidgey doesn't care, Bulbasaur wants to go to Vermillion, and Clefairy just wants what'll make me happy, right?" The trio nodded, and I was impressed. She really understood her Pokemon well (I, on the other hand, was just winging it with Nidoran).

"I… I suppose I'll go with you then," Delia started. "I can always head back home after meeting up with the others first, I should at least let them know I made it out okay. Thank you…?" she trailed off, and I realized I hadn't introduced myself yet. Swallowing a lump in my throat, I extended my right hand to her.

"It's Vanna," I said, shaking her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Delia." Mother _never_ supported me and my dreams, but Miya did - and so, it was only fitting that I use Miya's nickname for me while off on my journey. Delia, for the first time, smiled.

"It's nice to meet you too, Vanna," she said. "And don't worry about your clothes, I don't quite look the best either." She gestured to the burs in her tights and the sticks in her hair before recalling Clefairy and Bulbasaur. I chuckled.

"I suppose we better pick up some new clothes and a shower in Vermillion, huh?" I asked, and she smirked.

"I suppose so," Delia said. Laughing, we made our way into Diglett's Cave.

* * *

We didn't talk much as we walked through Diglett's Cave. I was still rather nervous, and I didn't want to accidentally reveal too much of myself to her. Delia, on the other hand, was lost her in own thoughts, probably thinking on those friends of hers that left her behind. Both of us were rather tired too, as neither of us had slept the night before. Nidoran snuggled himself into my arms and drifted into a light nap, as did Pidgey on Delia's head.

The cave itself was rather quiet, with the only sounds being the low rumble of the earth beneath us as the Diglett burrowed their way around and soft drips from water leaking through the dark, earthen ceiling. Thankfully, enough other trainers had been through here that someone had endeavored to put up a string of gentle electric lights across both tunnel walls.

After what seemed like an eternity, Delia spoke up.

"Where are you from? And why did you decide to become a trainer?"

I… I hadn't really thought of a reply to that before. I was so focused on getting out that I hadn't really put much thought into what I should tell others when I finally was. I didn't want to keep her waiting too long though, so I resolved to tell her half truths.

"I'm from the Viridian area, and I decided to become a trainer shortly after watching a battle at the local tournament one year," I began. "The thrill of the fight was so enticing, I simply had to try my hand at it. What about you?"

"Born and raised in Pallet Town, I became a trainer simply because it was expected of me," Delia said. "I didn't particularly want to fight with my Pokemon, and my parents said I didn't have to go if I didn't want to, but I wanted to show everyone else that I was their friend and could be helpful too." I nodded.

"Everyone has their own reason, but we all end up in the same place anyways," I murmured. Delia smiled.

"Exactly," she said, and we drifted back off into a comfortable silence. Losing myself to my own thoughts, I realized I'd have to tread carefully around others and keep my story consistent to avert any suspicion. I… I didn't know exactly how famous the Kaneshiro family was, but from how people talked and acted at the parties, it was considerably so. I didn't want to be recognized until it couldn't be reasonably avoided - in other words, until the Indigo League tournament.

Tuning back in to my surroundings, I noticed a larger rumbling sound than usual and a dust cloud coming towards us. I squinted, not quite sure if I was seeing correctly - the lighting was dim, and the cloud was as the furthest point that I could see ahead of us. I was seeing correctly though, and the rumbling only grew louder as whatever it was approached us. I grabbed Delia and moved us up against one of the cave walls, and she yelped as both Pidgey and Nidoran woke up, now alert in case of an incoming attack. A hoard of Diglett and Dugtrio passed us, and Delia and I squeezed further and further up against the wall in order to get out of their way.

"Diglett Dig! Diglett Dig! Trio! Trio! Trio!" they chanted. Delia closed her eyes as the cave shook around us, threatening to fall inwards on itself and us. I gritted my teeth and crouched my upper body over Nidoran in order to protect him from the small dirt clumps and rocks that fell from the ceiling.

After a minute or two, the rumbling subsided and Delia cautiously opened her eyes. Thankfully, the tunnel didn't cave in and we were home free.

"Ah… we made it - that was pretty scary, Vanna!" she exclaimed. I gave her a shaky nod and grinned, relieved the danger had passed.

"Yeah, we should be fine now though-"

"Boss, where did those Dugtrio go? I only got a Diglett before the rest came in and bulldozed their way through," a voice from further in spoke, interrupting me. Delia paled.

"Are those Pokemon poachers?" she whispered to me, eyes wide. Pidgey meekly flew down and nestled its way into her arms. I let out a soft sigh.

"Maybe, or they're just trainers hired to cut down on the Pokemon population in the area," I said, keeping my voice calm and level even though I was just as nervous as Delia - if not more - on the inside. From how that sentence was phrased, they could easily be Team Rocket agents or grunts, but I still didn't want to worry her more than necessary.

"You're right, though we should probably stay where we are just in case-"

"Yo, April! I hear voices up ahead - should we go check it out, sis?" another voice called out, deeper than the first. "If that's okay with you, boss man."

A third voice, even farther away than the other two, grunted in affirmation. I strained my ears to try to hear what they were saying, but I couldn't make out a single word for the life of me.

"You hear 'em Tony, time to go check it out!" the first voice, which seemed to belong to that April girl, chirped. Delia looked to me worrily, legs shaking.

"What should we do?" she mouthed. I frowned, eyebrows knitting together.

"Stay close and get ready for a fight," I mouthed back. "Running won't do us any good here, they'd probably catch up soon anyways." She nodded and quietly pulled her other two pokeballs out of her bag, and I let Nidoran down onto the ground. His spines pricked up and he let out a low growl as a pair of footsteps approached us. Pidgey flew down from Delia's arms and took a battle stance as well.

"Ooh, look Tony! It's some kids, think we can take their money?" the girl chirped as she came into view along with a taller, more muscular male. She was short and had spiky bright orange hair held up in pigtails. Her companion had tan skin and wavy, dark purple hair that framed his face. They both looked to be in their mid to late teens.

"I think so, April. Say, I'll take you out to lunch with whatever we get off these two," Tony said.

"Oh, you know me so well!" April chuckled. "Well, you two heard the man - hand over all your cash or prepare to battle!" Internally, I let out a sigh of relief as they approached - the pair weren't wearing Rocket uniforms (or Mythic uniforms, thankfully). Instead, the girl wore a pair of ragged overalls with an orange T-shirt underneath, elbow-length gray gloves, gray boots, and a blue baseball cap. The boy wore dark green cargo pants, a brown leather utility belt and gloves, and a black T-shirt and boots. Both of them also wore a dark purple bandana around their necks.

"We'll take you up on that battle, thanks for the offer," I let out cheekily. Delia let out a light laugh in a clear attempt to hide her nervousness as she fidgeted with her pokeballs.

"Yes, let's." Tony grinned.

"Ooh, you girls have spunk - I like that. April, let's only take half of what they have when they lose."

"Hmm, you're too nice, but that's fine by me," the orange-haired girl said, grinning as she threw a pokeball into the air, letting out a Butterfree. The boy smirked before letting out a bug if his own, a large Beedrill. Delia gulped.

"Two versus two fine with you?" I asked, gesturing to Nidoran and Pidgey. I was nervous, as this would be my first real Pokemon battle, but I knew that even if their Pokemon were fully evolved, Butterfree and Beedrill weren't really known to be unbeatable powerhouses. Besides, we didn't really have any choice _but_ to fight, so I hid the butterflies fluttering in my stomach to the best of my ability, just as mother's tutors had trained me to do.

"Confident, are you kid? Well, that's fine by me - Beedrill, use Fury Attack on that Nidoran!" he yelled.

"Nidoran, it's leading with it's right side! Hop left, right, left to avoid it, and try countering with Peck!" I spat out quickly, just in time for Nidoran to take in my instructions and obey. He was only barely getting grazed by the Beedrill's onslaught. It reeled back a second before its trainer called out to it again.

"Now that you're close, Fury Attack again! She won't have time to call your strikes this time!"

"Not so fast! Pidgey, Gust that Beedrill and give Nidoran some breathing room!" Delia shouted.

"Thanks Delia," I said, relieved that Nidoran wouldn't have to take a head-on hit quite yet. It was his first battle, and I was uncertain if he could take a hit from Beedrill and keep moving. "Get in there and use Peck, don't let it get in any more attacks if you can."

"You forgot about me - Butterfree, use Confusion on that pesky Nidoran!" April called, and her Pokemon began focusing and let out a blast of psychic energy toward Nidoran and Beedrill. I didn't know if this would work, but thinking fast I yelled over to Nidoran.

"Quick, use Beedrill as a shield!"

"Wait, is that legal?" Tony questioned as Beedrill took the brunt of Butterfree's Confusion. April shrugged.

"Well, two versus two battles technically aren't so whatever works, right?"

"Damn, I'm out of the fight, and so early too," he groaned, recalling his Beedrill.

"Don't worry, I'll avenge you bro!"

"It's your Butterfree's fault I'm out to begin with…" Tony mumbled.

"Ha ha ha…. You know what to do Butterfree, Confusion again!" April yelped, desperately changing the subject.

"No way! Pidgey, get in there!" Delia shouted, and Pidgey hit Butterfree with a powerful Gust, diverting its attack into the cave wall and causing the lights to flicker as the electricity running through them was temporarily distorted by the force of the attack. Butterfree then tackled Pidgey, thoroughly annoyed by it's interference.

"Don't let Pidgey stand there and take it - Poison Sting, Nidoran!" I commanded, and Nidoran let out a barrage of poison spikes from his back, pinning Butterfree to the cave wall.

"Before it gets out, gust Pidgey!" With that attack, Butterfree was knocked out, and April merely sighed and recalled her Pokemon.

"Suppose we won't be grabbing their money today, Tony. Maybe lunch another time?" she said, sighing. Tony shrugged.

"Yeah, we better get out of here - first a bad catch and now this? We better just get out primary objective done and call it a day, I'm sure Old Man Jules can catch up with us later."

"Well, you heard the man - bye kids, hope to see you never!" April called out before grabbing Tony's hand and bolting past us towards the Pewter cave exit. Delia let out a sigh of relief.

"That was… well, I'm glad we kept our money at least."

"Yeah, I suppose you can say that," I let out. Honestly, I was surprised we did so well - I just called out Nidoran's attacks from a distant memory of playing Pokemon Yellow. "Though there seemed to be a third person earlier, I think there might be one more of them farther in. Do you want to keep going?" Delia nodded.

"If we go back to Pewter then we'll only see the other two again. Besides, Nidoran and Pidgey are barely hurt from that battle so we should be fine." Nidoran chirped happily and rubbed up against my leg. He did look a lot more confident now, and though I was still a little worried, I quickly agreed. After all, what was the worst that could happen?

"Great teamwork by the way - thanks for saving Nidoran and I back there, both you and Pidgey," I said. Delia smiled.

"Oh no, you did great too - you're really good at battling, being able to predict their attacks like that." I shrugged and shuffled from side to side nervously. It was just what Edward and Thomas taught me to look for in human attackers - the way they moved could easily foreshadow what they'd do next - though I couldn't tell her that. Truly though, it wasn't anything too special - just self-defense logic applied to Pokemon and how they move in battle.

"Ah, it's not that great," I said, embarrassed. "Though we should probably be quiet as we move forward. Wouldn't want to lose the element of surprise, after all." Delia hummed in affirmation, and the two of us cautiously made our way further into the tunnel after recalling Nidoran and Pidgey to reduce noise (they didn't mean to be loud, but two will almost always be quieter than four).

Eventually, we came across the silhouette of a man. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor, back turned to us and muttering to himself. From then on, I made a conscious effort to keep my footsteps light, as did Delia, and thankfully he was too lost in his thoughts to notice us. As we approached, I looked over him more carefully. He was a middle aged man with short dark brown hair that was starting to gray. He didn't quite have a full mustache and beard, but he definitely had a lot of stubble. He, like Tony, wore dark green cargo pants, but he also had a knife strapped to his side. He also wore a gray shirt with a dark blue utility vest with seemingly infinite pockets on it and a dark purple bandana like the other two had, though his was tied around his head.

"Damn kids, where did they run off to? They just left me here all alone with a some shitty Diglett, couldn't even do their job properly and nab a good ol' Dugtrio. 'It'll take a minute,' they said. 'We'll be right back!' They're just rookies, true, but still…" he said to himself, irritatedly tossing the pokeball containing said Diglett between his hands. Normally, I wouldn't be able to tell what Pokemon a pokeball was holding, but… Diglett was whining from inside the pokeball and seemed to be growing increasingly nauseous and distressed. After all, pokeballs weren't quite perfect insulators from the outside world (or at least not yet, anyways).

"Hey, don't be so mean to that poor Diglett! Can't you tell it doesn't like being thrown around like that?" Delia declared before her eyes went wide and her face grew mortified as he turned to face her. He didn't look bad or anything, so I could only assume she hadn't meant to say that aloud and it simply slipped out.

"Fan-fucking-tastic, and it looks like the duo couldn't even take care of the two kids they were so eager to mug," he spat out, rolling his eyes. "What exactly do you want me to do with this pokeball anyways, girl?" Delia's eyes grew determined.

"Let it go! No living creature deserves to be sworn at and thrown around like a toy!" she snapped, and I let out a low whistle. I'd never seen her mad before, and considering she was usually rather meek and demure, this was a lot fiercer than I expected out of her.

"Then make me," he said, reaching down into his pocket next to the knife ant retrieving a pokeball. "If you can that is - you're like ten, right? I wouldn't be surprised if you couldn't beat this girl, even if she is new." Smirking, the man tossed his pokeball, letting out a Pinsir who clicked it pincers at us and took a battle stance.

"V-Vanna," she stuttered. "He has a knife." I rolled my eyes.

"...And? He clearly challenged us to a Pokemon battle - Pokemon don't use knives."

"But… I'm scared," Delia whispered, and I sighed. _What did I do to deserve this again?_

"I'll fight for you if you want, if he draws the knife we'll just run," I said, and she smiled at me.

"Nidoran, come on out!" The man smirked.

"Well, a little Pokemon for a little girl," he said. I twitched, irritated, but I tried not to let it get to me too much. He was probably just trying to rile me up, and stuff like that only really bothered my if it was someone I trusted or knew well.

"Wait for it to get in close before striking," I ordered. The man grinned.

"Playing it smart I see, 'spose it won't be too boring then," he drawled. "Pinsir, Vice Grip."

 _Shit, shit, shit!_ I thought. _It's moving too fast, Nidoran won't be able to doge that!_

"When it gets close, lean your whole body into it and use the most powerful Horn Attack that you can!" Nidoran nodded in affirmation and its horn began to glow. The man grinned and the two Pokemon clashed, Pinsir only grunting in discomfort while Nidoran let out a distressing cry in pain. I winced.

"Nidoran, are you okay?" I let out shakily, my stomach knotting itself in dread, fear, and worry over his well-being. I was terrified his body would be snapped by those pincers, and I was so, so close to calling off the battle. Just as I opened my mouth to do just that, Nidoran let out another sharp chirp before yelling out a full-blown battle cry as his form became engulfed in light. His body grew bigger, stronger, and sturdier within that light, forcing Pinsir's pincers further and further apart. That could only mean one thing - he was evolving. It looked like Nidoran was a hell of a lot stronger than I thought he was.

"Well I'll be damned," the man mumbled. "This might actually turn out to be an interesting battle - the name's Jules. What's yours, little one?"

"...Vanna," I let out hesitantly. I didn't quite know how Delia felt about aliases, so I couldn't really lie to him. "Nidoran - no, Nidorino - don't let that Pinsir keep the upper hand, Fury Attack!" Nidorino followed up on my orders, panting as it finished the attack. Pinsir looked tired, her legs seemingly ready to give out at any second. "Finish it off with Peck!"

"Don't make it easy for her Pinsir, counter with Vice Grip!"

"Pivot behind it, don't let her grab you again!" Thankfully, Nidoran was able to follow my orders excellently at the last second and delivered the finishing blow. Jules let out a hearty laugh.

"I lost to a ten year old, never thought I'd see the day," he said. "Though this doesn't mean I'll willingly let this Diglett go, Thieves' Guild doesn't really have a particular code of honor for stuff like that as Rocket does - we're simply left to our own devices." Delia tensed. _Ah, so they're Thieves' Guild then,_ I thought. _Which, according to Edward, means they're more nuisances than actual threats._

"But you promised!" she yelped in disbelief.

"And promises mean jack shit in the real world, girlie. Best to learn that now before-" he was cut off as the pokeball began to tremble, letting out the Diglett in a burst of light as the pokeball shattered in his hands. More peculiarly, it kept glowing after the light from the shards of the pokeball broke off until three Diglett were in its place, or rather-

"Trio! Trio! Trio!"

"Of course this little Diglett breaks out of its ball, refusing to obey me, and goes off and evolves right after. _Of course it does,_ " Jules groaned, gesturing around him in irritation. At that moment, Dugtrio moved the dirt under Delia and I and began to carry us off past Jules and towards the cave's other end. I recalled Nidorino quickly, before we got too far away to do so. "Hey, wait…!"

Jules ran after us for a while, but eventually gave up. After he disappeared from our line of sight, Dugtrio slowed down a bit. Delia was laughing delight.

"That was so fast and so much fun, Dugtrio! Thank you so much for taking us away from that scary man, and you did great fighting him, Vanna! Though I'm sorry I challenged him and then flaked out - I probably shouldn't have done that," she admitted, scratching her head. I sighed.

"It's alright. Nidorino wasn't hurt seriously from what I can tell, and he even evolved out of it, so I can't really hold it against you that much," I said with a small smile, and she smiled back.

"Thanks Vanna."

Dugtrio stopped and the two of us turned away from each other and looked ahead to see the cave exit a few feet ahead of us. Natural light filtered down from it, and internally I was very, very glad to see sunlight again. I turned to Dugtrio, and before I articulated my thanks as Delia did, an idea came to me - asking it to join me couldn't hurt, right?

"As Delia said, thank you so, so much for getting us out of there Dugtrio. Before you go though, I'd like to ask a quick question. Would you like to come with me? I'm aiming to challenge the Indigo League this year, and I'd be honored to have a capable Pokemon like you at my side," I said, smiling sincerely. Dugtrio seemed to pause and think over this for a minute, and I strained to keep the smile on my face. Flattery was a better appeal than what I offered Nidorino, but there was still no guarantee it would accept. Mother always told me-

"Trio Tri!" Dugtrio said, not moving away. I took this as an affirmative and unclipped an empty pokeball from my belt and held it out to it. Dugtrio then tapped the button on the ball's center and let itself in. The pokeball only shook once before clicking, confirming the capture. I smirked.

"Ah, you're really lucky, Vanna!" Delia stated. I chuckled.

"Suppose I am," I said as we walked out of the cave and into the sunlight, and I squinted. My eyes slowly adjusted until I could make out Vermillion's skyline and a little bit of ocean off to the west. "Well, what are we waiting for? Vermillion is waiting for us!" I shouted before running off towards it. Delia followed behind me, laughing.

This… this was nice. Everything was looking up - I had two Pokemon to call my own, I was free from mother's influence (for now), and maybe, just maybe, I'd made my first friend in this life.

Yes - for now, everything was brighter.

* * *

 **AN: So another two weeks, another chapter (and actually on time with this one, lol). There was a minor grammar thing I tweaked last chapter with this one's update, just a capitalization error, though it was kinda small so I don't know if anyone even noticed. Either way, I do want my writing to be good and get better, but I'll try to keep edits around the same time as a new chapter upload for convenience's sake. On another note, there were a lot of new characters introduced this time. It was both fun to write and rather challenging, to be honest. I was rather worried about Delia's introduction actually, though I think it turned out alright. I also updated the story summary and character list to reflect this, as she'll be around for quite a while. This chapter also came out pretty lengthy, but I think it sets the tone well for what to expect in the immediate future. Thanks for reading, and happy belated Thanksgiving!**


	9. Chapter 9

Vermilion City was breathtaking, to say the least. Quaint tan and orange-bricked homes lined the streets, and their roofs had those fancy, semi-circle shingles usually reserved for homes in warmer climates. Many also had gated front yards or potted plants on their balconies. It reminded me a little of where I used to live in Australia when I was young, but only barely. It had been a long time from then when I had died, and even longer since, but those remnants of memory still made me feel comfortable and a bit more at ease here. The streets were well-maintained as well, and the glass skyscrapers of the city's business district could be seen off to the north and its shipyards and beautiful deep blue waters to the south. It felt very different from Viridian - a good kind of different.

"Vermilion City is gorgeous, isn't it?" Delia asked, smiling and looking around in awe at the buildings and people walking by. The people around us though, shuffling by quickly to get their weekend errands done, were giving us a wide berth and weary looks. _Ah - our clothes, this is a nicer district of the city and we do look… well, not the best right now,_ I thought, taking into account that both of us were covered in dirt and dust. Thankfully, Delia seemed oblivious of their reactions, though whether she was deliberately ignoring them or not was anyone's guess.

"Yeah, it's nice here. We should probably stop by the Pokemon Center and get cleaned up before we try anything else. Hey, we can even ask Nurse Joy if she's seen any of your friends," I suggested haphazardly. I immediately regretted it as a small frown graced Delia's face.

"I… I suppose you're right. We made pretty good time - it's only mid-afternoon and we left pretty late last night…" she replied, trailing off. I sighed.

"Um, you wouldn't happen to know the way there, would you?" I asked, a little awkwardly, as we walked. "I'm not quite sure how to get there." Delia let out a laugh.

"Oh, I'll ask someone - I suppose that map of yours is only for the routes and forest paths, right? Don't worry about it." I quickly thanked her, grateful I didn't have to talk to more people today. More than anything, I just really wanted to get cleaned up and take a nap.

* * *

Fortunately, we were able to find the city's Pokemon Center relatively quickly, even if the walk was a bit longer than what I would have liked. Nurse Joy saw the state the two of us were in and quickly led us to some spare rooms, shoving a change of clothes into each of our hands.

"Honestly, what were you two thinking? Traveling all night, you say? And without eating anything for breakfast! I'll get you something to eat after you clean up, just stop by the front desk. Chansey? Go start something. Soap and shampoo are in the shower, dears," the pink-haired woman lectured before running off to answer the phone back by the front desk. I raised an eyebrow at Delia, wondering how angry Nurse Joy would've been if we mentioned Thieves' Guild.

"Oh, don't give me that look - Nurse Joys are always nice and accommodating for trainers. Is this your first time at a Pokemon Center?" she asked, and I hummed in affirmation.

"Yes, actually. I skipped the one in Viridian." Delia shrugged.

"Well, Nurse Joy always helps those who need it - they even offer free meals and rooms to travelling trainers if the center isn't overbooked."

"I've heard," I quipped before gently opening the door to my room. "Anyways, see you later?" Delia nodded and entered her room. I quickly stripped and hopped into the shower. As hot water beat down onto my back, taking away the dust, dirt, and mud coating my body, I could only think about how nice it felt even though I had only left home and its comforts yesterday. It… it would be a long year, but hopefully one of the better ones.

I sighed and shut off the water, drying myself off before changing into the black T-shirt and light gray sweatpants that Nurse Joy had provided, pulling on my own spare pair of sneakers from my backpack. The room itself wasn't anything remarkable - just a small space with white walls and two bunk beds connected to an even smaller bathroom with tan tile. Grabbing a spare trash bag from over by the garbage can at the door, I shoved my old clothes into it before slinging the bag over my shoulder and making my way towards the front of the Pokemon Center.

"Nurse Joy?" I called as I turned the corner of the hallway and entered the main reception area, a large, open room with a tan tile floor with a red-and-white pokeball insignia in the center, pale walls, and several glass tables and red couches for trainers to lounge at.

"Yes?" the woman called back from the counter situated directly across from the entrance. I awkwardly waved at her from the hall.

"Is there a laundry room anywhere? I was hoping that I'd be able to wash my old clothes…" I said, trailing off. She sighed, wiping her hands on her apron.

"They're all in the bag, right?" she asked, and I nodded. "Okay, toss them over here - I'll wash them up for you by tomorrow morning, don't worry about it. Here are your pokeballs back, they were a bit tired from battling, but that was about it. Nidorino and Dugtrio are all better now. Food and your friend are in the dining room now, it's just through the double doors on the other side of this desk."

"Ah, thanks!" I chirped, giving her a small smile before taking my pokeballs back and booking it towards the aforementioned doors. What? I hadn't had food in ages…

Chansey had whipped up some eggs and bacon for us, and Delia was indeed there as Nurse Joy had said. She was wearing some basketball shorts and a pale blue jacket, and she smiled and waved me over to her.

"Hello, Vanna," she said, twirling a strand of her reddish hair. I sat down next to her in front of the plate Chansey had left out for me. "I asked Nurse Joy about my friends. They left this morning for Saffron, so they're probably long gone by now. Just in case, I'm going to look around the city for them. Who knows, maybe they wanted to check out something real quick before leaving…"

"Possibly, do you want me to come with you?" I inquired. She shook her head.

"No, no - you already brought me to Vermilion as promised. I couldn't ask anymore from you," Delia said, sighing and taking a swig from her glass of orange juice. "Thanks for that, by the way - I wouldn't have made it without you." I gave her a small smile.

"It's no big deal, really. I'll probably be hanging around Vermilion for a few days until I gather up the courage to face the gym leader, so if you need anything…" I trailed off shrugging. She smiled back.

"Thanks, Vanna. See you around, then?" she said, standing up and picking up her plate.

"Yeah, see you around." With that, Delia dropped off her dishes with Chansey and left the room. Sighing, I picked up my fork and started eating my own food. It was still warm, and good food too, but I could only think about if Delia would find her friends or not. _Would it even be a good thing if she found them?_ I thought. _They didn't exactly seem like the nicest people from what I could gather… then again, I could be thinking too much about it. She should be fine._

After I finished my food, I dropped off my dishes and headed out of the dining room. My goal was to finally follow up on that nap idea I had earlier. I yawned, making my way back to the room Nurse Joy had shown me earlier. Sliding off my shoes, I rolled into bed, let out my Pokemon, pulled the covers over me, and was out like a light.

* * *

I woke up disoriented and thoughts racing. _Where am I? This isn't the mansion - the walls are all wrong, and why am I on a bunk bed? My heart was pounding, and I frantically jumped out of bed._ Nidorino jumped at the noise, giving me a curious look, and I relaxed. Right, I was in Vermilion City. I ran away last night, and the Dugtrio and Nidorino curled up on the floor were mine.

On that note, I realized that I needed to train. Despite the obvious type advantage Dugtrio had, I still couldn't expect to win without putting any effort in (that was a solely Ash Ketchum convenience, and I didn't think that I had any plot armor to help me out). I leaned back and stretched my arms out behind my head before turning to the desk and collecting my things. Thankfully, I checked outside the door and my clothes were there in a new bag, all clean, so I was able to put them back on. I relaxed a bit as I sunk into my black leather jacket - it reminded me of the one my mother had in my last life. Smiling, I turned to my Pokemon.

"Hey guys, I was thinking that we should probably do some training before challenging the Gym. Does Route 6 sound good?" I asked. My reasoning was that the city's northern exit was closer to the Pokemon Center and would take less time to get to. Dugtrio nodded enthusiastically, and Nidorino chirped in agreement. "Great! I'll recall you two for now and bring you back out when I find a trainer to challenge." I held out their pokeballs, and they went in without a fuss. Double checking that I had everything in my backpack and didn't leave anything in the room, I nodded. Despite the panicked wake up, I really did feel a lot better after grabbing some sleep.

On the way out of the room, I locked the door behind me, pocketing the key. I'd probably use the same room again after training. As I walked closer to the lobby, I could hear trainers bantering and trading tips. It… it reminded me of Delia.

I couldn't help it, as I did enjoy traveling with someone. I knew I should stop thinking about her, as she was a canon character and all, but she was just so _nice_.

"Giovanna, is that you?" a jolly voice called out as I walked past Nurse Joy's counter in the main room of the Pokemon Center. I hunched my shoulders and quickly turned away from the voice. _I didn't want to be discovered, dammit! Who did I know that would visit the Vermilion City Pokemon Center anyways?_ I took a quick glance back as my hand grazed the entrance's door handle. It was Christopher, dark blue hair and all, enthusiastically walking over to me. "It is you! I didn't know you were coming to Vermilion City, you should've told me!" I grimaced at the volume of his voice, who knew who could be listening in? He should know that too, as the son of a prominent shipping company…

"Hello, Christopher, it's been a while," I replied, smile tense. "Although I'm going by Vanna while I'm on my journey." The teen grinned.

"So your mom actually let you out, then? Dad didn't think she would," he mused, idly fidgeting with the pokeballs on his belt. "And call me Chris - if I get to call you by your nickname, then you can use mine too." Even though we'd met and chatted various times over the years at numerous social events, we never really saw each other enough to warrant using nicknames. Thankfully, Chris was rather easy to get along with, which was a blessing when compared to the other children at those gatherings.

"It was a bit difficult, but I was determined to go," I deflected easily. "Though what are you doing in Vermilion?"

"Dad's company has its headquarters here, it's the big glass tower with the globe logo on top in the business district. I actually wanted to do some touch up training since I haven't been battling in a bit," he rambled. "Where are you headed? If it's nothing too important, do you want some battling tips? I've been doing this whole trainer thing for quite some time."

I paused, and my smile became more genuine. This… this was a good thing. It'd kill two birds with one stone, taking my mind of Delia and letting me get a good handle on how to train my Pokemon. I had the theoretical side of things down pat from discussions with Haru, but there was a certain part of battle that was instinctual and hard to pin down.

"I was actually headed to Route 6 for some training now. That sounds great, Chris," I replied sincerely. He grinned.

"No problem! Just let me take you for a quick tour of the company afterwards. The dad's new secretary said I need to bring more friends of 'appropriate status' over, whatever that means," he chimed in opening the center's door and gesturing for me to go through. I did, and he began to lead the way to the city's northern exit.

"New secretary?" I mused, a bit confused. Whoever it was had never come up in conversation before. Chris hummed.

"Oh, no one important - I don't really like him much, to be honest, but he's apparently good at his job or whatever. The last one retired a few months back."

"Ah… so, what do you usually do for training?" I asked, changing the subject. Chris' gold eyes lit up, and he took the opening gratefully.

"Usually we warm up with some stretches first, and then move into light spars. After they're all fired up, we go ask the other trainers in the area if they want a match. The best experience is against other people, after all, though it's important not to underestimate a good warm up," the teen lectured. "Just throwing a Pokemon right into battle can be a little disorienting for them sometimes, especially if they haven't even been out of their pokeballs for a few hours." I nodded. That actually made a lot of sense.

"For stretching, do you use routines similar to the ones humans use? Or do you have your own special stretches?" I asked.

"Oh, I like running, and Mom got me a coach for it back when I was little, so I just adapted the ones he had me do. Not all Pokemon have the same range of motion that we do, so that's something important to keep in mind. It's also good to look at training as an agreement between humans and Pokemon, and to find something that works best for all of you," he said enthusiastically. "I like doing the warm up stretches with my team, but I've actually met some people who spar with their Pokemon themselves, though they were mostly fighting type trainers. Their Pokemon knew a lot of interesting evasive techniques as a result, many taken from different styles of martial arts." I smiled, realizing that I could actually use all that training mother forced me to do in battle if I could manage to teach some of it to my team.

"That's pretty cool," I said. "What Pokemon do you have with you?"

"Alakazam, Tentacruel, Clefable, and Parasect, though I have three more back at home. It's more difficult to train ones of different types, but I've found it to be worth the trouble. They're all part of my main team. What about you?"

"Nidorino and Dugtrio," I responded. Chris blinked at me, surprised.

"Wait… you just turned ten, like, two days ago, right? You already have two evolved Pokemon - isn't that a little much?" I shrugged.

"I caught Nidorino as a Nidoran, he just happened to be on the stronger side. I picked up Dugtrio in Diglet's Cave." The teen whistled.

"Damn, you're doing pretty good for yourself. You probably don't really need my help, huh?"

"No, I'm just lucky. I'll take all the help I can get." The road beneath us turned from dirt to stone as we left the city limits. Chris laughed.

"Well then, I'll do my best to be of service. Let out your team, and we'll see what we can do."

* * *

"Damn, Vanna! You're pretty good at this for a newbie - you totally creamed that youngster back there," Chris exclaimed with a laugh. I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly.

"Ah, just beginners luck. Besides, even if I haven't really done much battling before, one of mother's employees taught me much of the theoretical aspects," I replied, looking away. The battle he was referring to was ridiculously easy when compared to the encounter with Thieves' Guild, so to be praised for it was… strange. Especially considering that I was always bad at receiving compliments and hadn't really gotten many in this life (Miya was an exception - she always was).

"If that's the case, I think you'll do great at the Indigo Conference. We should have a battle once you get all your badges for it," he suggested, eyes bright.

"That sounds fun," I responded. "I'll be looking forward to it. From what I remember, you did pretty well at the conference yourself." Chris chuckled, running a hand through his hair.

"Eh, I got in the top 16 - pretty decent, but not amazing or anything. You'll probably do better than I did." The two of us walked back into the city, and Chris began leading me towards the business sector. The sun was low in the sky, and bands of orange, purple, and pink stretched across the atmosphere.

"There's what, 250 or so participants each year? Top 16 is amazing! And thank you for the support," I said, giving him a soft smile. Internally though, I was worried. I knew I'd have to do exceedingly well for mother to acknowledge training as a worthwhile pastime (hell, she might not regardless, but I refused to dwell on that for too long).

"Speaking of your journey, do you have any traveling companions or-" Abruptly, Chris was cut off as someone bumped into him. The person in question, a girl with orange-red hair, immediately started apologizing.

"Oh, I'm so so sorry! I should've been looking where I was going." As I met her gaze, I realized I knew her.

"Delia? We have to stop meeting like this," I joked lightly. Chris turned to me.

"You know her?"

"Yes, we met yesterday," I explained. Delia nodded.

"Hello, Vanna. Again, I'm so sorry for running into your friend…" she trailed off, and the teen laughed.

"I'm Chris, it's nice to meet you," he said. Delia gave him a small smile.

"It's nice to meet you too," she replied cordially, a little less panicked than earlier. Belatedly, I noticed the tear tracks on her face.

"Are you okay?" I asked, a little concerned.

"Yes, I'm fine - I just wasn't able to find my friends," she said. I frowned.

"That's… unfortunate," I responded, brows furrowed. I didn't really know what to do in this situation. Thankfully, Chris noticed the mood dropping and intervened.

"Actually, Vanna and I are headed to my dad's office building - do you want to tag along? It might help take your mind off things for a bit." Delia blinked.

"You… wouldn't mind if I tagged along?"

"Of course not," Chris stated, starting to walk and waving us on to follow him. "The more the merrier! We're only a block or two away, so it shouldn't be too bad of a walk. It's the skyscraper with the silver globe on it up ahead." Delia's eyes widened in shock.

"Your dad owns Indigo International? That's… wow!" Chris chuckled.

"It's a pretty new company, but thanks for the compliment. If you think that's impressive, Vanna's mother-"

"Isn't important," I said, cutting him off. "Indigo International has been bringing over some more cultural stuff rather than the usual food and energy imports, right?" Chris, though startled, took my interruption in good humor.

"Yes, we've been licensing foreign music and movies recently. We've also been bringing some of ours over to other regions too. With any luck, this'll become more of a trend - some of the stuff they have over in the U.S. and Europe is pretty cool and shouldn't be restricted to only those wealthy enough to travel abroad." I nodded.

"I agree - it's a good idea. Profitable, too," I mused, and Delia looked back and forth between the two of us before sighing.

"Well… I suppose so," she added. "France's fashion is rather cute, and I'd like to see more of it."

"It's Kalos now, actually," Chris corrected before stopping at the sliding glass doors to the office building. "And here we are! Just follow me." Delia nodded, and I could tell she felt a bit out of place. I smiled reassuringly at her before following Chris into the building.

* * *

 **AN: It's been quite a while, hasn't it? I'm so so sorry for the wait! You may notice the old AN is gone, and that's because it was just way too long. From now on, I'll reply to reviews with a PM (I didn't know you could do that at the time, lol). Additionally, this chapter starts the trend of previously introduced characters popping up again, which I hope to continue. In other words, I didn't just give background characters names for the heck of it - if they have one, they're probably going to show up again. I also hope Chris is likable enough, as, without saying too much, he's kind of important. This chapter was a lot less action-packed than the last one, slowing things down a bit and establishing various things for the future. Hopefully, it wasn't too boring.** **Thank you so much for reading, and have a great week!**

 **10/7/19 - Just a few small edits here and there.**


End file.
